Ténin, the strength of a valiant heart

In the heart of the Valais mountains, a sixteen-year-old is rebuilding her life after a critical heart operation. Her journey, marked by courage and resilience, is a real life lesson.

A journey beyond borders

Far from the hustle and bustle of Abidjan, her hometown, Ténin is now learning to dream again. At the age of sixteen, the young girl left her family to undertake a journey much greater than that between Switzerland and her home. Here, everything is different. The landscape whispers in an unknown language, far from the familiar tumult of the streets of the largest metropolis of the Ivory Coast. The tranquillity of the mountain peaks imposes its slow and measured rhythm on a mind accustomed to the frantic pace of noisy cars and feverish markets. The contrast is striking. At home, every street corner is overflowing with spices telling fiery and colourful stories. Here, she discovers more subtle flavours that reveal themselves with modesty, like a secret that you have to learn to tame. ‘Over there, I eat diula, cassava and spicy sauces. Here, the flavours are milder, but I’m adapting’, she says with a shy smile.

The youngest of nine children, she carries within her an immense love and a courage equal to the distance that separates her from her family. “I miss my parents enormously, especially my mother, with whom I have an unfailing bond.” Before leaving for Switzerland, she shared special moments with her, as if to engrave the strength of this presence in her memory forever. “We packed my suitcase together and she accompanied me to the airport. Before leaving, she gave me a big hug and said, ‘Be brave and patient, listen to the doctors.’” These words, engraved in her mind like incantations, still resonate within her at every moment. She clings to them like a talisman. They have given her the strength to face adversity with an admirable maturity.

A medical trial and a personal struggle

Since birth, Ténin’s heart beat differently, punctuated by a fragility that life has imposed on her. A congenital malformation, discovered when she was three years old, led to her first operation in France, an episode of which she has only a few scattered images, frozen in carefully preserved photographs. “My parents knew that another operation would be necessary when I turned fifteen”, she explains calmly.

On 6 January, in the hushed calm of the University Hospitals of Geneva, Ténin underwent a delicate operation to replace her heart valve with a mechanical one. “Everything went well, but it will take me time to adapt to this new sensation. The sound of my heart is now perceptible, which is sometimes disconcerting”, she confides with touching sincerity. From now on, each pulse is an echo that resonates within her like the ticking of an internal clock. Time moves inexorably forward, inscribed in her body, setting the pace of an existence suspended between fragility and hope. These beats have become a whispered promise, an injunction to live life to the fullest, to capture each moment before it fades away and to embrace the fleeting beauty of each moment offered to her.

Resilience forged in adversity

In the hospital, surrounded by caring health professionals, Ténin found refuge in small, simple but essential gestures: a kind smile, a comforting hand placed on hers and daily encouragement not to falter in the rigour of medical treatment. “The nurses measured my blood pressure every morning and reminded me of the importance of taking my medication. Their constant attention, their reassuring voices and their infinite patience transformed the hours of waiting into moments of serenity. I was alone in my room, but I never felt abandoned”, she confides.

She also remembers the unfailing support of Ramzi and Diogo, colleagues at La Maison, who supported her in the most trying moments. “I was very anxious before the operation. Frankly, I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up. It’s silly, but I thought I was going to die, and they reassured me a lot. After the operation, they came to see me all the time, they talked to me, they didn’t give up on me. It really helped.” She also mentions their honesty about difficult subjects: “They explained to me that it would be complicated for me to have children. Even though it was hard to hear, they found the words to comfort me and allow me to accept this reality.”

La Maison de Terre des hommes Valais: a caring refuge

Today, she is continuing her recovery within the reassuring walls of La Maison. In this haven of humanity, she is forging new bonds, adapting to this life far from her familiar surroundings and sharing her daily life with other children, who have also come from faraway places to receive care. “The educators will never replace my parents, but they do everything they can to make us feel at ease and at home”, she says gratefully.

At La Maison, she has found a real cocoon. Among the figures who accompany her on a daily basis, Anja, her favourite carer, occupies a special place in her heart. She is like a big sister. “She really understands what I’m going through.” Like all the staff, Vania, Carlos, Émilie and Mélanie have offered her their support and a listening ear.

Ténin has also formed valuable friendships with other teenagers such as Abigael and Nazareth. “We share our stories, our trials. It brings us a lot closer together. Some have already returned to their countries, but their exchanges have left an indelible mark”, she says, her eyes shining with gratitude.

Here, the days are punctuated by a mosaic of activities that open up new horizons for her. Nature walks, arts and crafts, school classes are all opportunities to learn to discover herself in a different way. Ténin, who grew up under the Ivorian sun, has even experienced snow for the first time, a wonderment that she talks about with stars in her eyes: “It was magical! I had heard about it, but seeing it with my own eyes is something else!” she says enthusiastically, recalling the games in the powdery snow, the laughter and the childish joy of building snowmen alongside her new friends.

A future based on hope

Behind this apparent fragility lies a young girl resolutely focused on the future. “This experience has made me more mature and stronger. I am proud of having had the courage to come here, far from my family. It has taught me that we are capable of much more than we think”, she says with a wisdom that is disarming for her age.

Her once vague dreams now have a clear direction. “I would like to become a cardiologist”, she says with conviction. “I have always loved taking care of my loved ones and my journey has made me want to help those who, like me, have to face illness. And then, it is thanks to the doctors that I was able to be treated. It is an extraordinary profession.”

She expresses infinite gratitude to the people who have accompanied her on this path strewn with pitfalls. “I will never forget their kindness and support. I thank them warmly.”

Every beat of her heart, now audible, reminds her how precious life is. Even if the distance sometimes weighs heavily on her, she draws her strength from the vibrant hope of soon being reunited with her family. On her return, Ténin will radiate from the experiences that have now shaped her. Enriched by her journey, she will take with her a glimmer of hope and dreams just waiting to blossom.

by Valérie Pellissier