Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE guardians of a 12-year-old girl who has been offered free treatment for her rare condition in Kenya are appealing for assistance to finance their travel and accommodation to the East African country.
The girl, Taropafadzwa Shava, was fortunate enough to get a free spine and rib orthopaedic surgery in Kenya but has no money for airfares and sustenance in that country. CURE International offered to operate on the girl but at their Kenyan site only if she can travel to the East African country and fund her stay for the duration of her surgery and post-surgery recovery.
Taropafadzwa has not been able to attend school since 2022 because she has spina bifida and has for close to two years, failed to secure airfares.
Mr Alfred Shava, Taropafadzwa’s grandfather was at pains explaining his granddaughter’s plight saying she was supposed to have travelled a long time ago but lack of funding has affected the life-changing procedure to happen.
“The child cannot carry 2kg of sugar for over a hundred metres without resting. She bleeds from the nose and at times has difficulties in breathing if she does things a normal 12-year child can do. Taropafadzwa was born with no record of abnormality at Concession District Hospital on October 18 in 2011. We realised at a later stage that something was wrong with Taropafadzwa, and I took her to the hospital where she was asked to put on a Cosette to try and redirect the rib cage which was no longer aligned well,” said Mr Shava.
Following misunderstandings between her parents, Taropafadzwa’s parents separated and she was taken in by her mother’s family where she has been living.
“We only got Taropafadzwa in January 2022 and we realised they had not done enough to help her. They asked us to take the child to Parirenyatwa Hospital, where we found out they had been referred to Cure Zimbabwe Hospital in Bulawayo and did not take her there. The orthopaedic surgeons referred us back to Cure Zimbabwe. We learnt that the operation will cost us over US$20 000 if we do it with private institutions locally,” he explained.
Mr Shava is asking for assistance with airfares for the child and an accompanying adult to and from Kenya and also food and accommodation during their stay. Taropafadzwa was being seen by an orthopaedic surgeon at CURE Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and Mr Shava is confident that she will recover after the operation and go back to school.
“The specialists who are seeing her said the surgery may take her three months to recover and to be up and about. Ngizayenza njani (what will I do) if at the end everything fails and the child’s health and education and life are not well supported,” he said.
Spina bifida is a birth defect that affects the spine where the backbone protects the spinal cord and does not form and close as it should. This results in damage to the spinal cord and nerves. This condition can be diagnosed during pregnancy or after the baby is born. Children born with spina bifida have various needs of various intensities, some have mobility problems as the nerves that control the leg muscles do not work properly below the spina bifida defect which may lead to muscle weakness of the legs and sometimes paralysis. The children have a curved spine, and experience abnormal growth, bone and joint deformities and dislocation of the hip. Bowel and bladder problems are also common as the nerves that supply the bladder usually do not work properly, other complications may arise as children with spina bifida get older such as urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal disorders and depression.
Those willing to assist may contact Taropafadzwa’s parents, Tafadzwa Davis Kudakwashe Shava on +263 773280268, +263 71 310 4349, and her mother on +27 74 630 6898. – @NyembeziMu.
Online Reporter