Meet our 'Heart Heroes' Stories
"Keep your heart healthy- is a promise we must make to ourselves for example giving up unhealthy habits, eating right and healthy and doing plenty of exercise..."
I contracted Rheumatic Heart Disease when I was 7 years old, however I was fortunate to contract it at a young age where it could treated. Today, I am 16 years old, standing here alive and healthy whilst living with condition. I was first told I had Rheumatic Heart Disease when I was taken to the hospital for a normal checkup routine. After being seen by the Doctor and relevant procedure conducted, he diagnosed me with Rheumatic Heart Disease. I felt scared when I was first told I had RHD, however I feel sharing and hearing how others have coped is the key to emotional wellbeing a way of creating awareness.
Treatment for RHD involves an injection every 21-28 days, for a minimum of 10 years and I will need these injections until I’m at least 21. While the injections remain a painful and inconvenient part of my life, it is something I have come to accept.
I have gone through a lot of discrimination from peers at school because I cannot play contact sports like every other kid my age. It has made me feel left out because my life used to revolve around sports before being diagnosed, I also come from a family where everyone excels at sports. However, I have taken their negative comments and turned it into positive ones. With continuous medication and regular gyming, I have managed to minimize the effects of RHD on my life.
At times I feel nauseous and dizzy and sometimes, I actually faint as I put a lot of strain on my heart as my heart cannot work normally like other boys in my class. It tires me easily and I must take some time off from school.
My heart condition has impacted my family emotionally and financially. There are times where they must put their needs aside and cater for my hospital expenses. In 2020, I faced the biggest traumatic experience of my life.
Every Acute Rheumatic Fever or Rheumatic Heart Disease patient knows that you need a doctors’ approval before any Dental checkup, reason being your heart is vulnerable to any bacteria flowing in the blood especially when it is from a tooth infection. So, I received the approval and the required medication prior to the tooth extraction and my tooth extraction, of course, was a success. The first few days went by and I was feeling alright but unfortunately there was a shocking turn of events. Although, my gum was still healing, there was blood still flowing out from the wound that was mixed with bacteria from my gum. Eventually, the bacteria entered my bloodstream and finally reached my heart. I grew so ill that I was sick for about 3 months.
Had severe migraines, swollen joints that disabled me from walking, I couldn’t stomach anything, even when I drank water, I would vomit it out. At the same time, going in and out of hospital, I was overdosed with all sorts of medication. I had 4 blood tests in total but because I had so many things happening to me all at once and even that the doctors couldn’t come to a fair conclusion of what sickness I had. I was so sick that it got to the extent where I started vomiting blood; it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I was so weak, and the doctors couldn’t do anything at this point, my family had to realize and accept that I was lying on my death bed. But with the support of this one doctor which I will hold confidential including my loving family, I overcame this dreadful experience. Now, I live a healthy and proactive life despite Rheumatic Heart Disease.
You don’t think of yourself as being ill, you just get on with it. I know people are worse off than me, so I don’t have negative thoughts. Keep your heart healthy- is a promise we must make to ourselves for example giving up unhealthy habits, eating right and healthy and doing plenty of exercise.
Thank you and Vinaka Vakalevu
“…how important it is for us to maintain healthy lifestyle and keep up with medications…”
“Being an RHD patient for 14 years is and will never be easy. We have to adapt to a lifestyle different from others, commit to a monthly dose of Benza, stop and think before doing things that may cause minor or major setbacks…But having to be a part of the RHD champion support group has helped a great deal.
We know we are not alone; we remind each other how important it is for us to maintain healthy lifestyle and keep up with medications and most of all, we strive to assist in any way possible to spread awareness so that other kids may not go through what we have had during our youth.
Times have changed and what was once a rare disease is now commonly found among our children. Be aware of SORE THROATS, SKIN DISEASE AND SORE SWOLLEN JOINTS. Your knowing may help save another️.”
Tiuria Kanimea (27yrs old)
Claims consultant – Tower Insurance
