Keila story
Keila is four years old and comes from Bujumbura, Burundi. During her birth, a series of complications caused her cognitive disabilities and a motor disability in one arm. She also immediately showed symptoms of Tetralogy of Fallot, a severe heart malformation which requires an urgent surgery.
Unfortunately, Burundi does not have any specialised healthcare facility where the girl can be treated. Raising a child with a disability in Burundi is far from easy, as any mental or physical impairment is seen as the manifestation of an “evil force”. For this reason, children like Keila are often abandoned. However, Keila’s family loves her unconditionally, and wants to give her the best possible life. They ask for help to Flying Angels, because they need to fly the young girl to Italy, where a hospital in Verona is ready to welcome her.
The departure
Flying Angels agrees to help, and starts looking for a flight for Keila and her mum. Soon, they land in Italy, and the girl is admitted to the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona. It is a great day for Keila and her family, who wants to see her as healthy and happy as possible.
Surgery
On February 10th, Keila undergoes her first surgery, but the surgeons cannot complete the procedure: her pulmonary arteries are malformed and need to be reconstructed before operating on her heart. After one week, the medical team manages to perform a reconstruction and a non-invasive correction of the cardiopathy, with a successful outcome.
Keila spends some time in the ICU, and during this difficult period she is infected with Covid 19. She must now be isolated, and her mum cannot visit her anymore. Only the doctors and nurses can see her, and they do their absolute best to make her feel at home.
Back home
As soon as Keila recovers from Covid 19, her mom is back by her side. Keila hasn’t been discharged from hospital yet, but she keeps getting better, and she feels stronger and stronger each passing day. Very soon she will be able to eat without help and fly back home for the rest of her recovery.
