One From the Heart: Israeli Docs Save a Chinese Orphan's Life

"Gretel" (Quan Shiyi), the caretaker of one-and-a-half-year-old Xin Bao, comforts him at the pediatric ICU at Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Israel, 05/04/2010. Xin Bao is recovering from successful open-heart surgery, via the Save A Child's Heart organization. (Photo: Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

Wow. Really moving experience video interviewing a Chinese young woman and the orphaned infant she's brought to Israel for emergency congenital heart-surgery via "Save a Child's Heart" org, at Wolfson Hospital in Holon.

Gretel, as she calls herself here, is Xin Bao's court-ordered caretaker for the duration of the operation, until they both return to their home city of Beijing, hopefully soon.


"Gretel" (Quan Shiyi), cheers up one-and-a-half-year-old Xin Bao with a "chamsa," good luck charm at the pediatric ICU at Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Israel, 05/04/2010. Xin Bao is recovering from successful open-heart surgery, via the Save A Child's Heart organization. (Photo: Dave Bender, All Rights Reserved)

Also on hand in the ward and at the hospital were Palestinians patients from Gaza, Israeli Arab volunteers, an Ethiopians doc, and kids from Zanzibar and many others.

Will post moving clips, photos and story in coming days at www.davebrianbender.com

Heart-to-heart between Israel, Palestinians

Heartwarming, no?

Two Palestinian children in need of complex, life-saving heart surgery will be operated on by an international team of experts during a live broadcast surgery at an upcoming international medical seminar in Israel.

World-renowned medical professionals will meet in Israel next week to share and debate leading research and techniques in adult and pediatric cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology, as part of the Second Sami and Angela Shamoon Medical Seminar held at the Edith Wolfson Medical Center.

The seminar will take place from October 21st – 22nd, 2007 and will bring together distinguished medical professionals from the US, Canada, UK, China, Germany and the Netherlands.

The conference will also unite Israeli and Palestinian doctors through the Save A Child's Heart, 'Heart of the Matter' program sponsored by the European Union, where 15 Palestinian doctors from the West Bank and Gaza are expected to participate in the conference. Read the rest.

Meanwhile:

President Shimon Peres expressed regret on Thursday that innocent Palestinians were being subjected to any form of maltreatment by Israel, but he added that over the past three weeks, six potential suicide bombers had been apprehended as they tried to enter Israel with explosives... Peres outlined his vision of the proposal for an industrial zone peace village that is supported by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian leadership and said the Japanese were giving $100 million and the Germans $30m. toward the project.

Click here for previous posts on Israeli medical advances, and related medical news.

Breaking: Iraqi kids in Israel for heart surgery

More on SACH here.

Two Iraqi children are set to arrive in Israel today [Thursday] for emergency heart surgery. Both children were screened by Israeli doctors during a one-day cardiology clinic set up for 40 Iraqi children in Jordan, organized by Israeli-based organization, Save A Child's Heart on October 9th, 2007.

Israeli doctors immediately referred a 5 month old girl and an 11 year old boy from Iraq for emergency medical treatment in Israel due to the severity of their heart conditions, which if not treated, would leave them at risk of dying at any moment.

Here's the Associated Press story.

40 Iraqi children, accompanied by their parents, made the journey from Iraq to Jordan where they were screened by a SACH medical team, including, Dr. Akiva Tamir, Head of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Alona Raucher-Sternfeld, Pediatric Cardiologist and Dr. Sion Houri, Director of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, based at the Wolfson Medical Center in Israel. General Electric equipped the team with a state of the art, portable echocardiogram machine which greatly assisted with the diagnosis of children.

Logistical support for the mission was provided by the Christian group, Shevet Achim and medical facilities were offered by the Red Crescent Hospital in Amman.

Since January 2007, SACH has operated on 18 Iraqi children. To date, a total of 35 children from Iraq have been treated by the organization at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. Iraqi children who arrive in Israel with their family, reside at the SACH Children's Home in Azur.

Save A Child’s Heart provides life-saving heart surgeries for children from developing countries regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or gender. Since its inception in 1996, SACH has treated over 1700 children from 28 countries around the world including; Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Rwanda, Moldova, Vietnam and China. Close to half of the total number of children treated at SACH are Palestinian or from Arab countries including Jordan and Iraq.