Nancy Ironjo holds her son, Regan, 6, at their home in Columbia last week. Regan has had three open-heart surgeries and other procedures to deal with different medical ailments.
Based on his level of activity, 6-year-old Regan Ironjo does not look like a child who has undergone three open-heart procedures as well as a number of surgeries to deal with other conditions. He is energetic and affable and finds it hard to sit still.
But his life has been a constant battle with medical problems. Regan has been sick since he was born in Kenya, said his mother, Nancy Ironjo. Regan was referred to medical professionals in the United States in 2008, when he was 3, when doctors in Kenya discovered the boy was suffering from an undescended testicle. Nancy said she could not afford the surgery and said she contacted a relative in North Carolina, who referred her to a urologist there who took his case free of charge.
While examining Regan, the urologist found that Regan had heart murmurs and told Nancy that Regan’s heart problems would have to be dealt with before all else. Nancy said she felt overwhelmed.
“I felt as if the ground beneath my feet had given way,” Nancy said.
Nancy, who is here with her son on a medical visa, said they do not have insurance. She does not have a job and has been relying on the kindness of her friends and relatives to get her through. Nancy and her son came to Columbia to stay with a relative and with the hopes of finding a medical professional to treat her son.
While in Columbia, Regan came down with a severe cold, and Nancy took him to the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services for treatment. While there, a nurse found out about Regan’s heart problems, took interest in his case and referred them to Guy Carter, a pediatric cardiologist with University Hospital.
It was discovered that Regan had several heart defects. There were numerous holes in the wall between the two ventricles, blockage in his aorta and higher-than-normal blood pressure in his pulmonary artery. Carter said he had never seen so many problems manifested within one young patient.
“He wouldn’t have made it to 10 without something being done,” Carter said.
Carter and other University Hospital doctors got in touch with doctors from Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, where the surgeries were performed. His last procedure was completed April 19. Nancy Ironjo was not charged for the operations.
David Draper, one of the university cardiologists who helped treat Regan, said university doctors would continue to monitor Regan as he gets older. Now that his heart ailments have been dealt with, doctors can focus their efforts on his other medical problems.
“We’re giving him a chance,” Draper said.
Nancy, who said she is a single mother, had to leave behind her young daughter — Brigid, Regan’s twin — when she brought her son to the United States. He has been here so long, she said, he no longer speaks the native tongue of Kenya. She said he can understand the language but speaks the English he has picked up from the friends and relatives they have stayed with in the United States.
Nancy and Regan will remain in Columbia until his urological ailments can be taken care of, and Nancy said the two plan to return to Kenya once her son has a clean bill of health. Regan will be attending kindergarten in Columbia in the fall, which is something he is looking forward to.
“God is good,” Regan said.
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