Today, our Dr Irma tells us about a patient who has grown particularly close to her heart. Antso’s story shows, in a wonderful way, that we really live what we say again and again:
“Many little people, in many small places, who take many small steps, can change the face of the world.”
For Antso, many people have taken their own small – yet so important – step. The Deichmann Foundation, HoverAid and MHM are working together to make the Madagascar Mobile Clinic possible. This allows our team to drive far beyond the paved roads and reach remote villages like Antso’s.
By Dr Irma: A Brand New Heart – Antso’s Way Out of the Bush and into a New Life
Five years ago, a little boy named Antso was born in a remote village in Madagascar, many hours from the nearest paved road. He was born with a severe congenital heart defect.
For five long years, his family lived in constant worry. The specialised medical care Antso needed seemed unattainably far away.
But one day, the Madagascar Mobile Clinic (MMC) came to his village.
When our doctors examined Antso, it quickly became clear that he urgently needed specialised cardiology care. But finding a child is only the first step. What happened after that was only possible because many people and organisations worked together.
Through our partners, contact was made with La Chaîne de l’Espoir in France, where Antso was offered the much-needed specialised paediatric heart surgery.
With the support of our donors and partners, we were able to prepare Antso for an extraordinary trip: from his remote home in Madagascar, he flew to France for an operation that would change his life.
The surgery was a complete success.
Today, Antso is back home with his family – safe and well. His heart has been operated on and is now strong. He has a chance to grow up and live a healthy life.
Antso’s story is a powerful reminder of why we go where the streets end.
No child should be left without a second chance at life just because they were born in a place where medical help is difficult to reach.
Thank you to every single person who has become part of Antso’s journey. Your support allows us to go where medical care is barely accessible, to find children like Antso and to bring them together with the help they need.
Many people. Many places. Many small steps. A little boy with a whole new future.
