Helping broken Hearts Heal

Mrs. Ojiabo Comfort Adaora was diagnosed with complete heart block 5-months ago.  Her story is one like many in Africa.  No funds to cover the cost of the procedure or device.  Ojiabo needed a permanent pacemaker implanted and soon.  This once lively retired teacher who still volunteered at her school found she no longer had the energy to volunteer or even go to church on Sunday.  Basic activities of daily living exhausted her.  She could no longer keep up with her grandchildren or cook and care for her family.  Lucky for Ojiabo, CardioStart, funded by Edward Lifesciences,  was preparing a training mission to Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria Africa.  The team was set to assist LASUTH in their brand-new catheterization lab.  Our interventional cardiology team and the local team, side-by-side, implanted the donated pacemaker from Medtronic and gave Ojiabo her life back.  

 Ojiabo is thankful to the donors, companies, volunteers and LASUTH who were all part of her care and treatment.  She is so very happy to be what her children say is “the life of the party”.  She is already back to the school with the kids gathered around her cooking soup to her taste.  Her family says they “love seeing her smile again.”