Hadassah Greene cannot remember the details surrounding the life-saving open heart surgery that she underwent - after all, she was only seven-and-a-half months old - but she happily lives a life that reflects commitment to preserving her life and living it to the fullest.
"I grew up knowing that I had been blessed to be alive all these years," said the now 16-year-old, Kingsway Academy student. "I was born with a hole in my heart and it was through my family's faith in God, the skills of the local doctors and the Heart Foundation that paid for the procedure that resulted in me still being here today. For that I am grateful and I really take being healthy seriously because I don't want to waste this gift I was given."
It was on February 12, 1996 when Denise and Jason Greene welcomed Hadassah, their first child, into the world. The proud parents were health conscious throughout the pregnancy, and did all the required pre-natal examinations. Nothing was amiss with the pregnancy and even when their only daughter was born she still seemed healthy and normal.
"Hadassah was a beautiful baby and seemed normal too," said her mother. "My husband and I did the checkups that were routinely done as a normal baby grows. A physician at the time noted that there was a murmur in her chest. We were told that this wasn't uncommon for a baby but we should watch it. Nothing seemed amiss and we assumed the problem would go away, but when she was four months she was smaller than a regular baby and I noticed she wasn't drinking a lot of her milk. She would drink maybe two ounces and then stop. I took her back to the doctor and they said her heart murmur was still there and it could be causing her fatigue."
She was referred to a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Jerome Lightbourne who discovered that Hadassah had a hole in the upper right atrium of her heart. The first-time parents were given the option to see if the hole would close on its own and allow Hadassah to be put on medication for the meantime. Within a month of doing that she said she realized it was best to do the surgery instead of waiting and hoping.
"My husband and I already made up our minds to do the surgery even before the doctor told us we would need to do it, since the hole wasn't closing on its own. We knew the best chance she would have to live a normal and healthy life would be to just do the surgery. As soon as we made our decision Dr. Lightbourne set up the team of doctors, anesthesiologist Mark Weech and surgeon Dr. Duane Sands. Hadassah's surgery was performed locally. The Bahamas Heart Foundation guaranteed the funds.
Everything falling into place was a blessing for the mother. To show her gratitude to the organization that paid thousands of dollars to save her daughter's life, she became a member of the Bahamas Heart Association, the educational arm of the Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart Foundation. She and her husband were also able to pay the foundation back for the surgery in installments. Although the foundation pays for life-saving surgeries when people are not in a position to pay, Greene says her family was happy to repay the money because another child would not be able to get urgent help if funds were depleted.
"I am happy to give back because it means another child can be helped. My family is in a position where we can give back financially and we wanted to do the right thing," she said. "Many families are not able to do so and that is why they have things like cookouts and fundraisers to assist in raising funds for the family. Some families repay in the same way, by doing fundraisers as well, and I think it is a great thing because the foundation must go on if more people are to be saved."
Hadassah spent five days in hospital before she was approved to go home. Greene took her daughter in for monthly checkups for the first year after the surgery. Like any concerned parent, Greene's major worry after surgery was whether she could allow the toddler to run up and down and participate in strenuous activities. She was told that there was nothing to worry about and to let her be as active as possible to strengthen her heart.
Since she was given the all-clear, Hadassah only has to undergo annual checkups.
"I am so thankful to the foundation and the team of doctors that saved my daughter's life. It was great that she didn't have to leave the country which made the cost easier on the foundation, and checkups were easier for her. It was so wonderful to see that we have professional, capable and competent Bahamian doctors to do this kind of surgery locally. I'm thankful to God that he spared her life. I am sure Hadassah would not have survived without the closure of the hole. I still thank those who prayed for us and who gave funds to this cause," said Greene.
She has since given birth to two sons, Jason and Christiano who are both healthy. But she says thanks to the foundation and their experience she has no fear that, should another incident occur, there would be someone to help them get through their hour of need.
Hadassah is now a ninth grade student and she is not lax in showing her appreciation for the assistance she got as a baby. She happily tells people her story if they ask. She also lives her life as freely as she can, knowing that other children like her were not so lucky and still undergo medical issues as they grow older. She said she takes care of the gift she was given by being on top of her health as much as she can.
She is always physically active and even competes athletically for her school. Her favorite events are the 200 meter dash and running relays. Even though the shorter 100 meters and the longer 400 meters are not her best events, she says she will compete in them if she's needed. Her athletic interest is spreading to volleyball, which she is learning in hopes of getting good enough at it in order to play competitively.
Hadassah and her family take their healthcare a step further by sticking to a vegetarian diet. The two women of the family eat fish at times, but she said her father is a strict vegetarian and she hopes to one day be like him.
"It is so important to monitor what you eat. It's not just about how food tastes or weight gain. It's also about what is going on inside and what the food you eat does to the body. My brothers and I have always eaten fruits and vegetables since we were children. We don't eat meat except fish at times, but we know that the way we eat is best for us. I know I have to stay healthy and take care of myself as best I can."
She is grateful that she hasn't had any problems with her heart since her childhood surgery, but Hadassah is still aware that future heart-related issues like heart disease are possible. Unlike the condition she was born with, heart disease is something that can happen due to one's lifestyle. This is why she tries to do all she can to be as healthy as possible. She hopes that other young people learn to take their health seriously as well because she said their health is the greatest gift they could ever have.

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