Israeli compassion warms Zimbabwe family’s heart

An Israeli entrepreneur saved the life of his former Zimbabwean employee, Chance Chitima’s, baby son, Takudzwa, by connecting the family with Save a Child’s Heart, an Israeli humanitarian organisation specialising in paediatric cardiac care. 

When all other options to save Takudszwa’s life were out of the family’s reach, Chitima reached out to his former boss for help, and the 21-month-old baby was flown to Israel for life-saving surgery. 

Chitima had worked for Eran Tal installing irrigation systems in Zimbabwe 13 years before his son was born, but they had maintained a connection despite Tal having returned to Israel. 

Now, Takudzwa has just returned to Israel for the replacement of his pacemaker’s battery, and met the doctor who saved his life. 

“I was emotional seeing the doctor who saved my son’s life 14 years ago,” said Fortunate, Takudzwa’s mother. “I was so happy because he was literally my son’s lifesaver. So, I pray that that man be blessed abundantly because he restored our home, our happiness.” 

Takudzwa was three months old when he was diagnosed with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA), an exceptionally rare heart defect in which the heart’s ventricles are completely inverted. This life-threatening diagnosis affects fewer than 1% of children born with congenital heart disease worldwide, with an estimated incidence of one in 30 000 to 50 000 live births. 

Fortunate recalls that she knew something was wrong with her baby because “he wasn’t growing properly; he wasn’t eating well; he sweated a lot; and he was so tiny”, she said. 

When they heard the diagnosis, she recalls her and her husband “getting stressed and depressed because this was a massive issue and our baby was so small”. She said they were worried about how they were going to help their son, where they would get the money to do it, as it was obvious that it was going to be expensive to save his life. 

Feeling desperate to save their child, Fortunate would travel to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg every few months in search of a solution. He was treated in South Africa because it was accepted that there were very few cardiologists and resources locally that had the capacity to help the baby. 

Initially, the hospital in South Africa they went to worked for them because it didn’t charge for patients under five years old, Fortunate said. “We paid only a small amount, I think about $10 [R160], because Takudzwa was a foreign child.” 

She said travelling to South Africa all the time was challenging because they would be on buses for 18 hours at a time as they couldn’t afford plane tickets. “The journey was very stressful with a sick child.” 

Things got infinitely more complicated when the Chitima family were told that Takudzwa was going to need life-saving surgery that would cost more than $20 000 (R320 600). This put the treatment to save him literally out of their reach. 

It was then that they reached out to Chitima’s employer, Tal, to ask for help. Tal began searching for alternatives for Takudzwa and reached out to Save a Child’s Heart. A few months later, through the organisation, the Chitima family was flown to Israel for Takudzwa’s life-saving treatment. 

At 21 months old, the baby underwent a technologically demanding double-switch open heart surgery at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Tel Aviv, performed by Dr Lior Sasson, the director of paediatric cardiac surgery. This procedure ranks among the most technically demanding surgeries in paediatric cardiac care and requires exceptional surgical expertise. 

The surgery saved his life, though it resulted in complete heart block, requiring the implantation of a permanent pacemaker. This meant that Takudzwa would need to return to Israel to replace the battery every few years. His first return was in the past few weeks. 

Takudzwa had a simple message for the surgeon who saved his life. “I want to thank you. Because of you, I am alive. I live my life as a grateful person because of you.” 

Save a Child’s Heart has just celebrated 30 years of saving children’s lives around the world. “Since 1995, we have treated more than 8 000 children from 75 countries, bringing advanced cardiac care to families who would otherwise have no access to it,” said Simon Fisher, the executive director of Save a Child’s Heart. “We have also trained hundreds of doctors and medical professionals, building a global chain of healing that extends far beyond Israel’s borders. Our deep and enduring relationship with Africa is central to this mission – saving lives today while building sustainable local medical capacity for tomorrow through our South-to-South initiative.” 

Takudzwa, despite everything he endured over the years, lives an ordinary life with his parents in Harare, and is hoping to write his O-levels next year. He said he now simply wants to change lives. His mother said he is constantly telling his parents that “by using my life to make a difference, I can volunteer, share my story and have a skill that can help others in teaching, mentoring, and just being there for other people at Save a Child’s Heart”.