Former President Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete has shared an inspiring reunion with Ms Catherine P. Conrad Minja, a young girl whose life was transformed by life-saving heart surgery nearly two decades ago and who is now studying to become a doctor. 

The emotional meeting took place on May 29, 2026, exactly 18 years after Dr Kikwete first met Catherine at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI), where she was recovering from successful heart surgery at the age of four. 

Their first encounter was on November 14, 2008, when President Kikwete visited Catherine shortly after her operation. At the time, she was among the first children to undergo cardiac surgery at MOI, where specialist heart services were operating before the completion of their Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI). 

Now a first-year medical student at Kairuki University, Catherine visited the former President to express her heartfelt appreciation for his leadership in expanding specialised cardiac healthcare services across Tanzania. These initiatives gave countless patients, including herself, a second chance at life. 

Dr Kikwete congratulated Catherine on achieving her childhood ambition of studying medicine, saying he was deeply pleased to see her healthy, thriving and preparing to serve the nation through the medical profession. 

For her part, Catherine said she hopes to specialise in cardiology and dedicate her career to treating heart patients facing challenges similar to those she overcame as a child.  

She described her decision as a way to give thanks to Almighty God for the precious gift of life and good health, while helping others receive the same hope that transformed her own future