Wiseman Ngobeni is a seven-year-old who was born in Daveyton, Benoni in the Eastrand.
From birth he seemed to be healthy, however when he turned six weeks old, his moth-er, Tinyiko, says he displayed flu-like symptoms.

His condition carried on for quite a long time and despite frequent clinic visits and us-ing prescribed medications his health did not improve.

After receiving an SMS from a clinic to refer Wiseman to a hospital in the Eastrand, Tinyiko soon learned that a congenital heart defect was the cause for her son’s health issues. “Due to his condition I had to take him with me wherever I went. At times he would even turn blue and got tired from walking so he would breathe heavily,” recalls Tinyiko.

Both Wiseman and his mother encountered more challenges which include waiting for a very long time for an open-heart surgery before eventually receiving a letter of ad-mission to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital (NMCH) in Parktown, Johannes-burg. Tinyiko says, “We did not have a choice but to wait for someone to contact us, there was nothing we could have done, it was a frustrating period.”

After years of seeking help and not finding it Wiseman finally got admitted at NMCH in January 2022. This brought a lot of relief to Tinyiko, at long last her son would undergo a life-saving surgical operation.

Wiseman spent two weeks at NMCH before his surgical operation was successfully done, however it was followed by a significant amount of time spent in ICU, subse-quently the cardiac ward. He eventually discharged in March.

Wiseman now has routine medical examinations. “In the past I did not let him go out play with other children because of his condition, but he is fine now, he enjoys playing football with his friends,” says Tinyiko.

In light of the nurses, doctors and sponsors who played a role in saving Wiseman’s life, Tinyiko says, “I would like to thank them for treating my child, at some point I had lost hope of my son being able to get help but finally he is fine.”

Now that Wiseman is home and his health is steadily improving, his mother anticipates he will be able to go to school.