02 Aug 2017

Open heart surgeries affect not only the patients, but family and friends of those patients as they play a huge part in the patients’ recovery.

A road to recovery for such patients however depends on what kind of heart problem and surgery a patient has had and as such that person must be well taken care of.

One gentleman who has had a misfortune of undergoing a heart surgery is Mr Lawrence Kesebopeng who revealed in an interview with BOPA that he had a pacemaker implanted in his chest in 2013; followed by a series of complications such as repeated shocks from the device, infections and sometimes swelling; neither did Mr Kesebopeng nor his caregivers knew how to react to these side-effects.

His ordeal led to the birth of an organisation dedicated to teaching the nation about heart diseases and how to take care of heart-disease patients.

Botswana Cardiac Society (BCS), the brain-child of Mr Kesebopeng -who also chairs the organization, was established in November 2016 and is registered with Botswana Registrar of Societies.

Heart surgeries are complex and extensive and as such caring for heart-disease patients requires a high level of dedication and patience and also requires both the patient and their caregiver to have an understanding on the disease.

This forms a foundation on one of the many objectives of BCS which is to educate patients and care takers at large on different types of heart diseases.

Although the organisation is fairly new and still recruiting more members, especially those who are informed on heart disease problems, it has embarked on a quest to teach heart disease patients on how to manage their lifestyle based on their health.

“It is very important for a patient to take care of themselves because they need their physical and mental strength in order to recover. This includes taking a proper diet full of relevant nutrients, engaging in physical activities such as exercising in order to stay healthy,” Mr Kesebopeng added.

Heart-disease like any other, always take a toll on the patients.

Having to deal with complications and side effects resulting from surgeries, patients are normally left stressed out as a result of their surgeries.

Mr Kesebopeng noted that his organisation also aims to provide emotional support to heart-disease patients prior to surgery as well as post-operation adding that having someone to talk to helps a great deal in alleviating some of the stresses and could also prevent patients from falling into depression and anxiety.

He said he felt emotionally vulnerable when he was told that he would undergo a surgery to have his pacemaker installed and he became a bit hesitant and reluctant to go through with the procedure.

He reiterates how a ‘support group’ would have come in handy had there been one to help him go through the procedure and provide him with all the necessary emotional support.

Furthermore, Botswana Cardiac Society wishes to set a standard for heart disease patients to be able to receive care and medications on time by providing them with a system that will send messages and letters to remind them about their appointments.

However, the organisation’s efforts to fulfill their mandate seem to be futile with the main challenge being lack of sufficient funds. Mr Kesebopeng said his vision is for his organisation to sponsor for heart surgery procedures for patients who have been booked for operations, but lacks the funds to do so.

Nonetheless, Mr Kesebopeng explained that the challenges they face will not deter his organisation from teaching the nation about cardiac problems.

He said they will continue visiting government departments and inform its staff about matters related to heart diseases.

He further appealed to individuals, private companies and government departments to assist the organisation with the funds that will help them in realising its vision.

Membership for Botswana Cardiac Society is open to anyone above the age of 18 years and anyone less than 18 will be required to provide a written consent of their parent or guardian.

The organisation comprises of a committee consisting of a chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, vice-secretary and treasurer. ENDS