Restoring a Little Star’s Sparkle: Yusrah’s Story

It’s early on a Saturday morning at Tygerberg Hospital, but four-year-old Yusrah is prepped and ready for surgery. She’s lying on her back in her hospital bed, in a hospital gown big enough for her to disappear into. She pops her head out shouting, “Peekaboo” before disappearing again in fits of giggles. She’s got beautiful soft, brown eyes that sparkle with intelligence. Her mom, Manteza, is sitting beside her bed, laughing at her antics.

They arrived in South Africa two years ago and, at about the same time, Manteza noticed that her daughter was snoring loudly and struggling to breathe when she slept. She looked into her daughter’s throat and saw that her tonsils were visibly swollen. She took Yusrah to the clinic, and they were referred to Tygerberg Hospital. The doctors recommended that she have her tonsils and adenoids removed, but since the surgery wasn’t classed as an emergency, she was placed on a waiting list.

They had no option but to wait, but the continual infections have had a huge impact on Yusrah’s health. Manteza turns and speaks to her, but there’s no response. She clicks her tongue softly before explaining, “She can’t hear that well.” Yusrah is also going to have a procedure to make a tiny hole in the ear drum and fit grommets to make sure that her ears can drain. “She’s lost weight, too. She was a big baby, but now she’s small.”

“She’s a bit shy, but school has helped her to gain her confidence. She’s smart!” Manteza’s head tilts to the side and she smiles proudly as she looks at her daughter, “She’s a really smart kid. She does well in class but this thing of falling sick all the time is affecting her. She misses many days at school.”

Those struggles are about to come to an end, though, because now, two years after her initial diagnosis, Yusrah is finally having her operation. “We got a call on Thursday to say that her surgery had been scheduled.” It was short notice, but Manteza was determined to get to the hospital and get the surgery done. She is incredibly grateful for the donors that have helped to fund the Weekend Waiting List Initiative. “Thank you so much for helping our little ones to get the best treatment!” As she finished, the porter came and wheeled Yusrah to theatre.