TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), an Israeli humanitarian organization, marked a major milestone when it treated Kelvin, a 10-year-old from Kenya. Kelvin became Save a Child’s Heart’s 7,000th child saved by the volunteer Israeli doctors of SACH.
Kelvin was referred to Save a Child’s Heart by Kenyan Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Ombaba Osano, who had previously trained with the Save a Child’s Heart team in Israel.
Dr Alona Raucher Sternfeld, Head of Pediatric Cardiology at Wolfson Medical Center said: “When Kelvin first arrived in Israel, the echocardiography showed that he had a big defect between the two main chambers of the heart. So, during surgery the hole was closed, and the valve was replaced with a mechanical valve. After surgery he also needed catheterization to enlarge the ascending aorta. He recovered very nicely, and we are happy with his condition”.
Save a Child’s Heart brought Kelvin’s mother, a Kenyan nurse, Kelvin, and 10 other children from Kenya to Israel to receive life-saving cardiac care. Kelvin underwent two life-saving procedures to treat his congenital heart defects on November 1, 2023, and December 18, 2023, at the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital and the Ida Cabakoff International Pediatric Cardiac Center at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel.
Kelvin said he was excited and proud to be the 7,000th child treated: “Being the 7,000th kid helped by Save a Child’s Heart felt really good. I was not scared, and now my heart feels better, I’m happy they fixed it. I am excited to go back home to see my family and friends, and to go back to school. I want to study and become a doctor one day. The doctors and everyone were so nice!”
Martha, Kelvin’s mother said, “Save a Child’s Heart gave my son, Kelvin, a second chance at a happy and healthy life. The care from the amazing team healed my son and filled our hearts with gratitude. Wishing everyone at Save a Child’s Heart a long and happy life, continuing their important work to help more kids all over the world,” she said.
Even as Save a Child’s Heart was treating Kelvin, it was also helping meet urgent medical needs during the war in Israel. Doctors at the SACH medical facilities were actively treating 10 recently released female hostages who had been abducted on October 7th and over 400 victims who were injured during the October 7th attacks and ongoing war.
Kelvin’s life was saved through the support of the German children’s charity organization,
BILD hilft e.V. “Ein Herz für Kinder.”
About Save a Child’s Heart
Founded at the Wolfson Medical Center in 1995, Save a Child’s Heart has saved the lives of 7,000 children from 70 countries. Fifty percent of the children are from Gaza and the West Bank, and SACH holds cardiology clinics for Palestinian children at its facilities in Holon. In 2018 SACH received the UN Population Award in recognition of its role in helping transform pediatric cardiac care in Africa. SACH is dedicated to improving pediatric cardiac care in developing countries around the world through surgery, medical missions, and education and has brought more than 150 local healthcare professionals to Israel for training so they can treat their own children independently and create centers of excellence in their home countries.
https://saveachildsheart.org/treating-children/kelvin
Additional images can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MYpHQ17XZR9O-WuX043mp09vXRdxq3m8
Media Contact: David Litwack, 240.223.3940, 371154@email4pr.com
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