Mia Hattingh entered the world with a medical team already prepared for a serious heart condition. Soon after birth, her heart went into failure. At three days old, she received a pacemaker and moved into paediatric intensive care.
For her parents, Martin and Delia, the early days were measured in monitors, updates and milestones they could not rush. At first, they could not even hold their daughter. Medical staff cared for her around the clock while friends, relatives and strangers sent messages, shared the family’s story and contributed to a campaign covering travel, accommodation, meals and medical gaps.
Slowly, the milestones changed. Mia’s parents held her for the first time. She moved from ICU to a ward. The monitor cables and feeding tube came away. Then, after weeks in hospital, Martin and Delia walked out carrying their daughter.
Mia is home. Her medical journey continues, but this chapter belongs to the family, the healthcare workers who cared for her and a community whose support helped her parents stay close.
What people made possible
- Mia received a pacemaker at three days old.
- Specialist hospital teams supported her through weeks of intensive care.
- Community giving eased practical costs while her parents remained at her side.
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