20/08/2025
Meet Bertha
Bertha is one of our post operative patients from Namwala. Her journey with cardiovascular disease began in 2018 when she started experiencing alarming symptoms including coughing up blood, generalised weakness, palpitations, swelling of the legs and difficulty breathing.
She was first assessed at Namwala District Hospital and later referred to Choma General Hospital in 2022, where clinicians identified an underlying cardiac condition. She was subsequently referred to the National Heart Hospital, where she received a definitive diagnosis of severe mitral valve regurgitation. In August 2024, Bertha underwent a successful mitral valve replacement using a mechanical valve generously donated by Edwards Life Sciences, and was discharged home within days to begin her recovery.
Recently, a delegation from Edwards Life Sciences and the National Heart Hospital travelled to Namwala to meet Bertha in her home community. Listening to her recount her journey and witnessing her renewed sense of hope was profoundly moving. Encounters like these remind us that the practice of medicine extends beyond the operating theatre , it is about building bonds that transcend hospital walls. We look forward to seeing Bertha continue to grow stronger, and we remain hopeful for the many more patients whose futures will be transformed through these life changing interventions.
