Little Jonas in heart pain

For a four year old, life has to be fun with too much running around. Unfortunately it is not the case with Jonas Ramojela. He has Acyanotic Complex Cardiac Lesion as well as Ascites, which cause swelling of his stomach.

Speaking to The Midweek Sun from their family home in Old Naledi, his mother Keakabetse Ramojela says that it started last year, August 27, when little Jonas’ right side of the stomach felt like there was a stone inside. And he was grumpy. She took him to Princess Marina Hospital where she was told he has heart problem.

“They told me that that he had only one heart muscle and that the other one wasn’t functioning well. And they told me there is no cure for it, save for being given medication to suppress the pain,” she says. They were admitted for a month. Upon being discharged, the child’s tummy started swelling. They would later return to the hospital where the swelling eventually subsided. Jonas’ discharge summary states that he was diagnosed with Acyanotic Complex Cardiac Lesion and Ascites.

It says that the cause is ascitic tap and that the boy had some persistent linkage and reaction to an antiseptic agent. Another report done by the Paediatric Cardiology states that Jonas has Acyanotic Complex Congenital heart disease.

According to the mother, between January and March, “several x-rays were done but doctors say there is no cure for the condition.” Ramojela told The Midweek Sun that the condition keeps resurfacing with her son’s tummy swelling. Every week she takes the boy to Princess Marina Hospital where the urine (ascitic fluid) gets drained to reduce the swelling of the tummy. “At Princess Marina, they told me it’s the first time they are dealing with my son’s condition,” says the mother of three. She is currently on unpaid leave to look after her son. Clearly in pain, Jonas has lost weight. As he tries to force a smile, his big tummy is clearly causing him irritation and discomfort.

Though it still feels hard to touch, his mother says it has become better. “Doctors tell me they are afraid to operate him because they do not know where to cut,” she says. Nevertheless, all hope is not lost for her son as they are conducting MRI scan this week, with a urologist from a private clinic. According to one local doctor, the child is in extreme right heart failure secondary to absent pulmonary artery and severe narrowing of the right one – with less blood flowing to the lungs, and the valve on the right side of the heart leaking, adding to reduced blood flow to the lungs. He says that Jonas needs a surgery on the valve. “The water is due to the blood not returning to the heart, so it backs up and the water in blood seeps out of the blood vessels and accumulates in the abdomen and legs,” he says, recommending that government should take Jonas to South Africa where a successful surgery can be done.