Ema Ketewai To Compete In Games Despite RHD; Mum Praises Meds, Prayer

A mother’s instinct is always powerful and right.

These were the sentiments of Alisi Ketewai when she found out that her 14-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD).

RHD is a damage to the heart where a valve is wounded or damaged by rheumatic fever causing leakage and backflow of blood.

“We had visited doctors and they kept saying she was healthy and there was no need to worry but my motherly instinct kept pushing to get her to a specialist,” she said.

“After going to a private doctor last year in June, we were told that she had RHD and the first question she asked me was, ‘Mum, am I going to die?’

“It hurts when she asked, but I had to be strong in order for her to be stronger than what she was going through,”

Ema Ketewai, a Year 10 student of Suva Grammar School, beat all odds when she did exceptionally well during the Suva Zone Two Meet at the ANZ National Stadium last week.

“She told us that she was part of her school’s athletics team, you can imagine how shocked we were at her decision considering what she was battling,” Mrs Ketewai said.

“At the same time, we were amazed at her level of confidence and mental strength in juggling all these.”

Ema is part of her school’s 4x400m relay team and 800m event competing in the Coca Cola Games in April.

She takes a monthly injection of Benzathine Penicillin G (Benza) to help protect and keep her heart strong.

“She does not have asthma and surprisingly the doctor have said her participation in athletics has been helping her heart a lot,” Mrs Ketewai said.

She added that it has been her family’s faith in God that has always given them a peace of mind.

“Her medications work, but it has been the fasting and praying that have kept us together knowing that God is a God of possibilities,” she said.

She hopes to join RHD awareness programmes and encourage parents be open about RHD.

Edited by Selita Rabuku

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