“I quite literally owe her my life and I’d like to thank her for her continuous support and love. I hope to return the favour some day - to be able to look after her the way she has done for me for so many years.”
These are the words of a son to his mother, for bringing him all the way from Romania to South Africa, 33 years ago, for much-needed heart surgery.
As as child, Alex Maicu, now 40, was diagnosed with the “Blue-baby” heart defect.
At the time it was believed that he would not live pass the age of seven as Blue-baby syndrome is a serious heart defect, known as Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).
Babies affected by TOF have malformed hearts that can not fully oxygenate the blood.
TOF can be treated surgically, but remains a serious, lifelong problem and frequently results in early mortality.
According to research done by American medical researcher Christine Seidman, the illness occurs in about one in 3 000 births, and accounts for 10% of all serious congenital heart disease.
At the age of six, Maicu’s mother, Maria Maicu, brought him to South Africa to have surgery performed, at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
Maria said: “After doctors in Romania claimed my son’s case was hopeless, Dr Marius Barnard examined him and determined he could help him. He helped us come to South Africa and became a real mentor for me”.
She said the decision did not come easy, “My biggest fear was coming to South Africa and having the same thing that doctors in Romania said.”
In 1984, doctors at Red Cross Hospital performed the life-saving heart surgery on Alex.
Today he is a healthy 40-year-old man and, along with his mother and sister, cannot thank the hospital enough for saving his life.
“I wouldn’t be here today without the fantastic efforts put in by the doctors, nurses and staff of Red Cross Hospital.
“Even though I was too little to remember the surgeons who operated on me, they will always have a place in my heart,” he said.
His mother strongly agreed.
She said: “If it wasn’t for the doctors, especially Dr Barnard, who came all the way to Romania to look at my son’s case, he would not be here with me today.”
Alex’s mother exclaimed that she felt indebted to South Africa as the place that “re-birthed” her son.
A year after her son’s operation, Maria moved with her two children to Cape Town.
“Remaining in South Africa felt like it was God’s calling to me,” Maria said.
Currently residing in Kuilsriver, Maria works for the Jan Kriel School for pupils with special needs, cooking nutritious and balanced meals as a supervisor in the kitchen.
“In my heart, I felt that, somehow, I needed to find a way to repay South Africa and give back to the country in the same way that it gave me back my son,” she said.
Alex describes his mother as the true hero of this story. Maria shared words of encouragement to parents going through similar struggles: “Never give up hope and faith, God will always make a way.”
Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital’s Darren Francis said: “Management at Red Cross would like to express their gratitude and appreciation to Alex Maicu. Through continuous excellence at Red Cross, we are happy that we contributed to his wellbeing. Management at the hospital wish him well.”
The Children’s Hospital Trust acts as a fundraiser for the hospital and can be be found at childrenshospitaltrust.org.za
or contacted on 021 686 7860, or emailed on [email protected]