Saturday, 31 May 2025

'OLD FACED' BABY DIES AFTER SURGERY

The Chinyanga family of Watsomba suffered a devastating blow when their nine-month-old baby exuding an old face (Japhet Junior) tragically passed away, just two days after undergoing surgery for a diaphragmatic hernia at Sally Mugabe (Harare) Hospital.

The infant who was suffering from a mysterious change in facial appearance and prolonged illness, passed away last Thursday, and was laid to rest in Mutasa on Sunday.

Baby Japhet had undergone surgery two days prior to his death, after being diagnosed with a diaphragmatic hernia — a rare and life-threatening condition where a hole in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity, crowding the lungs and heart.

His distraught father, Japhet Chinyanga said although the surgery had proceeded as planned, doctors later discovered that blood had flooded the child’s lungs, and he succumbed before they could intervene.

“Maybe we should not have had him operated on and left him with his condition. We are just confused and in pain.

“Doctors told me that his lungs were filled with blood, and they were about to drain it when he passed away. I asked them how the blood got there, but they said they did not know either.

“It seems the doctor who was supposed to drain it arrived after he had already died,” said Chinyanga, his voice heavy with grief.

The tragedy struck just as the family was beginning to believe that their child might survive the ordeal which started months earlier when the baby’s face began to age rapidly and unusually, causing confusion and fear among relatives and neighbours.

The baby’s mysterious condition had initially baffled both medical professionals and traditional healers, with some suggesting witchcraft or supernatural involvement.

Chinyanga said watching his baby’s features deteriorate and transform into something unrecognisable was the most helpless experience of his life.

“I used to look at my son and wonder where my baby had gone. It was as if he was trapped inside a mask of suffering.

“Then the diagnosis came, and we thought he was finally going to be okay. We thought he was going to live.

“He suffered so much in such a short time. He never got to laugh properly, crawl, or speak.

“But in those few moments when he was alert, he would look at us as if he knew he did not have much time on earth,” said Chinyanga.

The young couple took their baby to several hospitals, clinics, and even traditional healers in search of answers.

Following weeks of oxygen support at Sally Mugabe Hospital, doctors finally diagnosed the baby with a diaphragmatic hernia, explaining that a portion of his intestines had migrated into his chest cavity and was compressing his lungs.

Initially, doctors placed him on medication, indicating that surgery would be necessary once his heart was confirmed strong enough.

The family struggled to raise funds for the requisite scans and procedures.

With the assistance of well-wishers, they managed to raise money for the initial assessments and eventual surgery.

For the baby’s mother, Rutendo Nyamutata-Chinyanga, the grief remains overwhelming.

“I carried him for nine months and watched him suffer for another nine. Even when his face changed, and people whispered behind our backs, I still believed in his life.

“I prayed every day for him to be healed,” she sobbed, adding that one of the most painful aspects to accept was that the surgery had instilled hope, only to leave them more heartbroken than before.

“The day of the surgery, I held his tiny hand and told him he was going to be okay. I told him to fight. I had no idea that two days later he would pass away,” she said.

She explained that the doctors informed her that the baby’s lungs were compromised by the presence of blood, which was visible in an X-ray.

“They had planned to drain it, but unfortunately, they failed to do until his death.

“I do not apportion blame, but my heart is broken. I simply wish they had acted sooner,” she said, struggling to hold back tears.

The baby’s burial in Mutasa was a sombre occasion, with friends, relatives, and community members gathering to mourn the short and painful life that had brought so much hope and sorrow. Manica Post

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