Things I can tell you about Seraj, at 2 years old: He likes to sleep sideways in bed. He loves his mom like crazy, and missed her so much when she wasn’t beside his bed he called out to her “Mama! Mama!”, and tried to escape his bed to go find her every chance he …
A terrified, skinny boy arrived at the hospital. The cardiologist from Benghazi is looked at his heart, recommending urgent surgery. “Ramadan, will you let them operate on you?” The 14 year-old has heard this question again and again for the past seven years. “Will you accept?” His answer is always the same: “No.” Fatherless and culturally an …
Every year in Libya, an estimated 400 – 600 babies are born whose tiny little hearts need medical care—and often surgery—within the first year of life. Babies just like Taleen. Precision is vital in any heart surgery. But when the patient is a baby, the stakes are even higher… and the margin of error slimmer. …
Before & After: Taleen’s Surgery Made All The Difference! Read More »
Dr. Wejdan is one of the incredible Libyan surgeons we are helping train in Libya. When she was just 5 years old, she told her mother she wanted to be a heart surgeon someday. Her mother had no idea that her daughter even knew what a surgeon was! Dr. Rasmia didn’t intend to become a doctor: “My teacher in …
No Boys’ Club—Meet The Strong Libyan Doctors We’re Training Read More »
As soon as Muttah woke up after his heart surgery, he squawked from morning till night. He repeated the same motion over and over, throwing his little hands over his head, then back down to his sides. Over and over, for hours at a time. If Muttah wasn’t sleeping or eating he was squawking and flapping. …
3 Kids In The ICU: Same Surgery, VERY Different Needs Read More »
It was a small news article, easy to miss. Turkish hospitals and hotels are refusing to receive any new patients from Libya. The debt has grown too high, as Turkish hospitals treated more than 8,000 Libyans sent to them for care, and the bills have not been paid. Why are so many Libyans sent out of …
We Are Making A Real Difference In Libya—Join Us! Read More »
David is 15 months old and has been fighting to survive against all odds. David was born in Nigeria, which is a country without a pediatric cardiac surgery programme. Children in Nigeria who need a heart operation have to wait until a foreign team visits their country and hope that they are put on the …
For the longest time, we just knew Mayar as the girl with the fancy hair. With long hours to spend in the ward waiting for her shot at heart surgery, her mother had lots of time to sit on the edge of the hospital bed, brushing out Mayar’s hair, and creating endless combinations of braids and …
Ayat was born with a heart defect. Within minutes of her birth, trained specialists were at her side caring for her. After discussing Ayat’s condition, the doctors decided to operate on her twice: a partial correction immediately and a full repair after 6 months. Ayat did well through both surgeries, doctors have cared for her …
We had just begun our trip in Iraq and were in the ICU setting up and waiting for our very first patient when Dr Novick arrived with one of the cutest children we have ever seen. Her name is Hijar and she is one year old. Hijar was born with a hole between the top …
