Baby Elizabeth’s heart procedure ends eight months of worry

Eight-month-old Elizabeth Fesaitu’s successful heart procedure has brought relief to her mother, who spent the first months of her daughter’s life fearing the possibility of open-heart surgery.

For Ranine Fesaitu, the journey began on December 29 when she underwent a caesarean section and was later told doctors had discovered a hole in her newborn daughter’s heart while she was recovering in the Intensive Care Unit.

“I was so worried,” Ms Fesaitu said.

Doctors initially told the family the hole could close within a month, but it remained.

For eight months, Elizabeth was regularly monitored at Colonial War Memorial Hospital and Sai Prema, while her parents faced the difficult decision of whether to allow her to undergo heart surgery.

Ms Fesaitu said she and her husband were initially against surgery because they feared the risks of opening their baby’s chest.

When an overseas medical team arrived in Fiji, Elizabeth was reviewed again, but doctors found the hole was still small and had not increased.

The family was relieved, although Elizabeth’s slow weight gain remained a concern.

That changed during a recent review at Sai Prema when an Indian specialist advised that Elizabeth should undergo a procedure to close the hole.

The couple agreed after being told it would not require open-heart surgery.

Even then, Ms Fesaitu faced another anxious moment when Elizabeth developed a cough shortly before the procedure. After doctors reviewed her chest X-ray, the procedure went ahead.

It began at about 10am and took longer than expected, leaving Ms Fesaitu anxiously waiting for news.

When the doctor finally came out, she was relieved to hear that the procedure had been completed successfully.

“Thank God that everything went well,” she said.

Reflecting on the experience, Ms Fesaitu said she believed her daughter’s recovery was ultimately in God’s hands.

“Doctors do their work, but God has the last say,” she said.

Elizabeth, the couple’s only child, is now recovering, while her family eagerly awaits her return home.

Ms Fesaitu thanked the medical teams, the Ministry of Health and Sai Prema for supporting her daughter throughout her treatment.

Her message to other mothers facing similar situations is simple. “My advice is for a mother not to be scared,” she said.

For Ms Fesaitu, eight months of worry have ended with gratitude — and renewed faith that despite the skills of doctors, God has the last say.