Parents of an 18-month-old baby girl, one of a set of twins, have made a desperate appeal for urgent financial support to enable their child to undergo life-saving heart surgery at the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCTC) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Medical reports from the NCTC confirm that the baby, Sasha Sesime Dzansi, born on October 8, 2024, has been diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)—a serious congenital condition commonly referred to as a “hole in the heart.”

According to an official medical letter dated March 20, 2025, Sasha was referred from the Catholic Hospital, Battor, to the NCTC after doctors detected signs of a heart abnormality. Subsequent clinical evaluations and investigations, including a 2-D colour Doppler echocardiogram, confirmed the diagnosis.

Doctors say the condition requires urgent surgical intervention to repair the defect and prevent further complications that could threaten the baby’s life.

The medical team at the NCTC has indicated that the total cost of the surgery and post-operative care is US$7,500, covering investigations, anaesthesia, surgery, intensive care, and ward admission for up to two weeks.

Speaking emotionally, the parents said the situation has been particularly heartbreaking because Sasha is a twin.

“We are watching one of our babies struggle to survive while the other is growing normally. As parents, it is unbearable,” the mother said.

The family disclosed that all available resources have already been exhausted in efforts to keep their baby stable since birth, leaving them with no option but to appeal to the public for help.

“Time is very critical. Doctors have told us the surgery must be done urgently. We are pleading with kind-hearted Ghanaians, organisations, and philanthropists to help us raise the US$7,500 needed to save our daughter’s life,” the father appealed.

Medical experts warn that delaying the surgery could lead to severe complications, including heart failure, recurrent infections, and stunted growth.

The parents, Jerry Kwaku Dzansii and Augustina Enyonam Siame, are therefore calling on government institutions, corporate organisations, religious bodies, NGOs, and the general public to support them financially and emotionally during this difficult period.

They have also appealed to Mr Ibrahim Mahama, CEO of Engineers and Planners, as well as the Member of Parliament and District Chief Executive for North Tongu, for assistance.

All payments and support, according to medical directives, are to be made directly to the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

As the appeal continues, the family, currently residing in Battor in the North Tongu District, says their only hope is that compassion and collective goodwill will give their baby a second chance at life—so that both twins can grow up together, healthy and whole.