Israeli doctors repair heart of Indonesian toddler

After doctors perform successful congenital heart surgery on 18- month-old, physicians will perform surgery on his double-cleft lip and palate.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
indonesian baby 311 (photo credit: Efrat Nakash)
indonesian baby 311
(photo credit: Efrat Nakash)
The Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) organization, based at Wolfson Medical Center, performed successful congenital heart surgery on Kevin, an 18- month-old boy from Indonesia recently, resulting in his recovery.
The Israel-based international humanitarian project has provided lifesaving heart surgery and follow-up care for thousands of children from the poorest corners of the world since 1995.
However, Kevin’s case is unique because the organization will also perform surgery on his double-cleft lip, a disfigurement that in his country gave him such a stigma that he was rarely taken out of his home.
As a result of staying indoors, his eyes are not used to sunlight, and he can hardly see, said his mother, who brought him to Israel four months ago.
SACH doctors found a plastic surgeon at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba who would do the complex procedure at no cost, to be performed next week.
SACH says it is committed to the idea that every child deserves the best medical treatment available, regardless of their nationality, religion, race, gender or financial situation.
To raise more money for the organization, this summer a team of doctors, supporters and volunteers from SACH will climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise $1 million dollars to save 100 more children in need of treatment in Africa.