Independent Parliamentary Aspirant Captain Towani Chipeta’s Christmas celebration in Chasefu District, Eastern Province, has become a story of compassion and triumph, after her intervention saved the life of an eight-month-old girl suffering from hydrocephalus.
Hydrocephalus is a medical condition in which an abnormal build-up of cerebrospinal fluid causes the head to swell due to increased pressure inside the brain.
In a statement on Friday, Captain Chipeta explained that although the hospital did not have the required shunt available, she personally procured a durable ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt, enabling surgeons to perform an emergency operation.
The shunt is expected to prolong the girl’s life for at least fifteen years, after which another will be required, but for now, the child will be able to live a normal life and attend school.
She noted that the procedure was successful, and the child’s condition has since improved, with the swelling of the head beginning to subside.
Captain Chipeta recounted that on 25th December, during festivities in Khuli Khuli – a remote, hard-to-reach and marginalised area of Chasefu – she was approached by members of the local health community who informed her of a gravely ill child.
She revealed that the infant, abandoned by her father due to her condition, had been enduring severe swelling of the head and recurrent fevers.
According to Captain Chipeta, local clinics lacked the capacity to treat her, leaving the mother and child in despair.
Recognising the urgency, she arranged for the child’s evacuation from Chasefu – nearly 800 kilometres from Lusaka – to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).
At UTH, the neurosurgery department confirmed the diagnosis of hydrocephalus.
With the VP shunt procured by Captain Chipeta, surgeons were able to perform the life-saving operation.
Expressing her gratitude to the medical team, Captain Chipeta stated:
“I may have provided the resources, but it was the expertise of the doctors that saved this child’s life.
I am proud that together we have given her a chance to grow, to go to school, and to live a normal life.
Tomorrow she may even become a leader of this country.”
She further explained that the child’s mother, who had been told by some in her community that the condition was witchcraft, was overwhelmed with relief and joy.
The mother praised the intervention, noting that her daughter now has hope for a future free from stigma and suffering.
Captain Chipeta stressed that this incident highlights the urgent need to strengthen healthcare capacity in rural districts, particularly in remote and marginalised areas such as Khuli Khuli, where many children with complex conditions are left untreated.
She reaffirmed her commitment to standing with disadvantaged communities and ensuring that no child is abandoned due to lack of medical support.
This extraordinary act of compassion has turned a Christmas celebration into a life-saving mission, offering hope to a family once left without options and underscoring the power of leadership rooted in humanity.