Personal Story

My Heart Belongs in Africa

May 25, 2020

8 min read

Somaneh Bouba

A reflection on identity, belonging, and the dream of bringing better heart health care to West Africa, despite living with a mechanical heart thousands of miles away.

Between Two Worlds

Being sick is hard. But the most difficult thing for me is living so far from my loved ones and friends in Mali and Senegal. It's the home-cooked meals and the warmth of community that I miss the most.

Fortunately, we have an excellent African restaurant nearby here in Boston. At Safari African Restaurant, Madame Rokhaya and her husband Mohamed serve fresh dishes that warm our hearts like home. These moments of comfort make my "medical exile" bearable, their food nourishes and warms my heart, helps me stay rooted in my origins, and connected to soul, spirit, and body.

The Pull of Home

Despite the distance, my heart, both the mechanical one and the metaphorical one, belongs in Africa. Every day I spend in Boston receiving world-class care, I think about the millions in West Africa who don't have access to the same.

The disparity between what I have access to here and what's available back home fuels my determination to bridge that gap. It's not just about me anymore, it's about every family in Dakar, Bamako, and beyond who deserves better.

A Bridge, Not a Wall

My illness doesn't separate me from Africa. If anything, it connects me more deeply to the continent's health challenges. I've experienced first-hand the stark differences in healthcare infrastructure, and I'm committed to being part of the solution.

"My heart belongs in Africa, and everything I do here is in service of that truth."

Through the Heart of a Giant Foundation, we are building bridges between the world-class medical knowledge available in Boston and the communities that need it most. This is not charity, this is Ubuntu: "I am because we are."

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