Patient's stories
Nanta Tshitenge
Raphael’s mother
At the time of writing, Raphael is one week from birth according to what doctors call his “corrected age”. However, he has already been born for a month and a half…
On December 31st, while everyone was ringing in the New Year, his parents were rushing to the hospital to welcome him much earlier than expected. Monitored for a high-risk pregnancy, Nanta expected to give birth prematurely, but as a mother, she could not help worrying about her baby’s future. Amid this whirlwind of emotions, it is the team’s calm and gentle way that impressed her most from the moment she arrived.
“Everyone was so welcoming and reassuring. In our state of emergency, they succeeded in calming us down. I knew right away that I was in good hands and that Raphael would receive excellent care. Every member of the team knew exactly how to make us feel secure.”
No one wants to deliver prematurely, but Nanta feels so fortunate to have been able to count on the support
of the neonatal team during the six weeks she spent at the HMR. Today, Raphael is gurgling away and smiling, to his parents’ great delight!
“During our stay, the patient care team did everything they could to inject a little normality amid all the disruption. They made us feel like parents and showed us that Raphael was just like all the other babies. When we finally went home, every team member rejoiced along with us. Our children’s victories are also their victories!”