For 21 year old Matie Stanley seeing her son enjoy life and run around is a blessing. Her little boy Elijah recently underwent a heart surgery at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Hospital in Suva under the skilful hands of visiting and local surgeons.

The mother and son travelled from Tuvalu to have the surgery and are amongst other Pacific Islands patients who have and are being currently looked after at the hospital.

“I am so blessed and grateful that my son has had surgery here at this amazing hospital. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what would have happened to my son. He is my life and even when we were told he had a heart condition, I broke down because I couldn’t imagine life without my little boy.”

For Vanessa Tari, a mother of 4, bringing her 7 year old boy Junior to Fiji from Vanuatu for the surgery was a miracle.

An emotional Vanessa said learning that her son needed surgery to survive caused her family a lot of worry and they sought help to get him treated.

“Everything and everywhere we turned to required so much money and so when we were given this opportunity, I was so emotional and blessed because they have rescued my son and we are being housed here and looked after.”

“The care we have received, the professionalism in the way they conduct themselves has really given us peace and comfort.”

The hospital continues to provide free heart screenings for children.