Healing Children's Hearts in Nicaragua

Surgeons of Hope has made progress in a few directions since our last report in March.  In April our new Pediatric Heart Center welcomed a full mission team from Madrid, Spain, for a week of surgeries and training, and in May, a week-long catheterization mission team from Arizona and Idaho inaugurated the new catheterizaiton lab at the Heart Center.  The Mission was supported by Mending Kids Foundation.  A little girl received the first catheretization procedure and the outcome was successful, much to the joy of her family and the hospital staff.

During the Madrid mission, one of the little patients, Andro, recovered nicely from heart surgery at the Heart Center in Managua and enjoyed blowing soap bubbles as part of his recuperation process. The team of 13 specialists from Madrid was led by surgeon Juan-Miguel Gil, MD, and cardiologist Constancio Medrano. The April mission was a resounding success.

This week, two new pieces of equipment have been delivered to the Heart Center, one is a newly refurbished Philips ultrasound machine (donated by Let It Beat Foundation, in Geneva, Switzerland) and a perfusionist's CPB (Heart-Lung) pump.  Just this afternoon, we learned that a package of syringe pump parts has arrived safely, also.

"With this equipment, the Heart Center of Managua is now one of the most modern in Cenral America," commented Philippe Lerch, Nicaragua Program Director for Surgeons of Hope.  "This will help the local team to operate on growing numbers of children who desperately need surgery."

Surgeons of Hope has not and cannot do this without the help of our loyal Global Giving friends.  The children receiving care at our Heart Center may not know the source of their help, but we do, and we thank you.  Please continue your life-altering support.

Links:

• For more information, see our website.