This year, for my birthday, I gave myself a gift: between surgical camps in Tanzania and Mauritius, I flew to Uganda to visit one of our former patients who, against all odds, defied every expectation to survive and thrive. Badru was just four years old when we first met him. He lived in a remote village, about five and a half hours northeast of Kampala, where life itself was a struggle. It was 2015, and our team was in Mwanza, Tanzania. We had arranged for Badru, his mother, an interpreter, and a chaperone to travel from Uganda and join us for a life-saving heart surgery. When he arrived, Badru could barely stand; he spent most of his day crouched to relieve the strain on his heart. His lips were blue, his fingers clubbed. His mother, a widow and subsistence farmer raising four other children, had left everything and everyone behind to make this journey, hoping it would save her son. Yet even with their dedication and long journey, the challenges weren’t over. Badru arrived with a fever, and we immediately started him on antibiotics. Blood typing revealed that he was O-negative. The hospital had no units of this rare blood type, nor did the regional blood bank. Desperate, we turned to the radio, broadcasting a region-wide appeal that yielded only two of the four units needed. As an O-negative donor myself, I knew I had to step up. Crossing the street to the blood bank, I offered my arm, ensuring a sterile needle with the help of a fellow volunteer. My pint would be for Badru. Our surgeon, Sasha (aka Dr. Salvatore Agati), took a leap of faith and planned the surgery with three units and some platelets, setting it for Thursday. The clock was ticking, and we had almost exhausted every avenue to save him. I couldn’t shake the worry that my own high cholesterol might somehow affect his recovery—but we had no other choice. Badru’s time was running out. He had three to six months to live, if that. As I carried him into the OR, I made a quiet promise: if he survived, I would put him through school. We don’t often get to see, let alone hold, the lives our blood donations save. Maybe if more people did, the blood banks wouldn’t be so empty. Miraculously, the surgery was successful. The following year, Badru started school, and I kept my word, sending money for fees, uniforms, and the necessities he needed to grow and thrive. Yet, more than Badru’s future haunted me—his mother’s circumstances weighed on my heart. She shared that she had been sexually assaulted in her village after she was widowed. With no one to protect her, she was painfully vulnerable. We spoke about this at length before she left to return to her village, no one could stop her from an attack, and we decided that while we couldn’t protect her from harm, we could help her mitigate the consequences. On her way home, she received a Norplant implant for contraception, giving her two years of peace of mind. I wanted to provide a source of income, something sustainable that would improve her family’s situation. Initially, I thought of purchasing a cow, but local friends advised against it—a cow could make her a target. Instead, we invested in three goats, a modest investment of $200 plus $60 for birth control. Mama Badru raised the goats, bred them, and sold them for cattle, building her wealth slowly and carefully. Eventually, she acquired a plot of land and built a small house on it. For the past nine years, we kept in touch through an extraordinary pastor, Robert Nabulere, a compassionate man who kept me updated and made the arrangements for Badru. When I mentioned I wanted to visit, he and his wife, Rose, put everything on hold to accompany me and a friend, deep into Uganda. The journey was exhausting, but the reward was beyond measure. The pastor had prepared a surprise for me, welcoming me in addition to Badru, were two other boys whose hearts we had also mended, Prosper and James. All three ran up to hug me, their smiles filling my heart. The women in the village prepared a simple feast with the food they’d grown themselves: stewed bananas, groundnut sauce, beans, and rice. I brought the birthday cake the hotel in Kampala had given me to celebrate. We sat together in the shade, exchanging stories, laughing, marveling at the strength these children had regained. It was deeply moving for me. I don’t know that words can truly capture it. As I looked around, I was reminded that life in this part of the world is in stark contrast to the comforts we know—no running water, no electricity, no social media or internet. Life begins at dawn and winds down by sunset. And though I felt the physical discomforts acutely, my heart was full. For a small investment of blood, surgery, and finances, Mama Badru’s ability to care for her family had multiplied tenfold. Thanksgiving reminds us of all we have and all we can give. Visiting Badru and his family renewed my gratitude for the journey I have been on and for all our work at Mending Kids. It is a reminder that sometimes, the simplest gestures—like a pint of blood, surgery, or a few goats—can have a profound, lasting impact. May we continue to invest in each other, knowing that the smallest gifts can make the greatest difference. - Isabelle Fox, Executive Director Happy Thanksgiving, from our Mending Kids family to yours.After over two decades of traveling to Central America to support interventional cardiologists on their journey to becoming self-sustaining, Dr. Michael Womack's cardiology mission in Managua has become a center of collaboration for an alliance of Central American colleagues. Returning to Nicaragua for the second time this year, and working with Nicaraguan interventionalists Dr. Mireya Araica and Dr. Christian Ramirez, as well as Panamanian Dr. Aldo Campos and Costa Rican Dr. Rafael Gutierrez, Dr. Womack and the team completed a record 15 complex lifesaving procedures, in just one week. They were also joined by first-time mission member Dr. Nestor Flores, a promising Nicaraguan pediatric cardiologist whose expertise and dedication were instrumental. However, the mission was almost derailed just as it began when the fluoroscopy system—a critical tool for capturing real-time moving images of the heart and blood vessels—malfunctioned. This halted a slate of complex cases that were scheduled and sent us back to the drawing board, jeopardizing our schedule and upsetting the patients and families who were hopeful to receive their procedures…but fate intervened. Philips Senior Solutions Specialist Dean Rindlishbach, who happened to be visiting the hospital, learned what had happened and immediately stepped in, quickly repairing the machine. Thanks to Dean's heroically timely support, we were able to quickly reset and mend as planned. Thanks to the tireless efforts of every volunteer and partner for facing up to the challenges and making this mission a resounding success. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to Abbott, Medshare, Bear Givers, Teleflex, BBraun, Merit Medical, Naomi and her Mending 1000 Heart Campaign, Terumo, Philips, Rivas Opstaele, Carmela de Brouwer, Robyn Ross, and Michael Nadlman. With every mission, we're reminded that it takes a village to mend hearts and that together, we're building a self-sustaining future for children in Central America. Thank you to all who make this work possible and thank you for keeping our kids in your thoughts and making their lives matter. Together, we are mending kids!After five years, we finally returned to Armenia in October. The mission was led by Dr. Andre Panossian, who resumed his mentorship of two local pediatric plastic surgeons, providing specialized facial reanimation surgery and reconstructions for children born with nerve paralysis or hemangiomas. Yerevan, a beautiful and bustling city with a history dating back to 800 BC, has recently seen the immigration of 100,000 exiled Russians and an equal number of ethnic Armenians displaced from Azerbaijan after losing the two-year battle for Artsakh (AKA Nagorno-Karabakh.) This influx has significantly impacted the city and its healthcare system, which provides free surgical care and hospitalization for all children from birth to age 18. Producing highly specialized surgeons is especially challenging for a nation of only 3 million people, making Dr. Panossian’s work all the more critical. During the pandemic, he used smart-glass technology to consult virtually and assist Armenian surgeons when travel was impossible. Our first patient on this trip was Ani, an 11-year-old girl who practically leaped for joy when we told her she was a good candidate for reconstructive surgery. She skipped into the OR, and after recovery, she was grinning from ear to ear. As Azerbaijan refugees, her family is rebuilding their lives in Armenia, and it was heartwarming to provide her with this surgery and witness her self-esteem blossom overnight. Ani was just one of 11 patients that week—ranging from siblings born with cleft palates (the brother, an amazing Duduk* player), to a young girl burned as a baby, whose contractures were affecting her ability to move her neck. One traumatized patient had already endured seven unsuccessful surgeries to close her palate. Each patient brought a unique and heartbreaking story, but by the end of the week, it was a journey filled with hope. For the non-Armenian volunteers, it was also a week of history lessons, and for all the children, it was a week of life-changing care and renewed possibility. As we look ahead, we plan to expand our program in Armenia to include other medical specialties, ensuring that more children receive the specialized life-changing care they deserve. You can help us continue this critical work by supporting our future missions. Please consider contributing to our Armenia mission and be a part of bringing hope and healing to even more children in need. * a double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood. together, we are mending kids!In case you missed itMending Kids was recently featured on Lacey Chabert’s Hallmark+ series Celebrations, which highlights inspiring individuals making a difference. In the episode “Carmela's Peruvian Fiesta,” our board member Carmela De Brouwer was recognized for her incredible work supporting Mending Kids and providing life-saving surgeries to children around the world. The episode captured Carmela’s deep commitment to service, particularly in her native Peru, with a heartwarming celebration filled with culture and joy. If you missed it, you can still stream the episode and join us in continuing to heal more children!
We are excited to announce that Mending Kids will be featured on Lacey Chabert’s new Hallmark+ series Celebrations, where deserving individuals, families, and community heroes are surprised with unforgettable celebrations. The series highlights extraordinary stories of people making a lasting impact in their communities, and we couldn’t be more proud to have one of our very own Board Members, Carmela De Brouwer, shining brightly. Streaming on demand, don't miss the episode titled “Carmela's Peruvian Fiesta” celebrating Carmela, who has championed Mending Kids and helped us to provide life-saving surgical care to children worldwide. In this episode, Lacey Chabert and the Celebrations team honor Carmela's commitment to charitable causes. Carmela’s heart for service, especially in her native Peru, has touched the lives of hundreds of children and families. The surprise is packed with joy, cultural flair, and heartfelt moments you won’t want to miss! As we celebrate Carmela's dedication, we invite you to join us in continuing our mission to heal more kids.
This week, Mending Kids made a special mission to El Salvador with the support of Edwards Lifesciences Foundation and Drs. Jenny Zablah and Gareth Morgan from the Children’s Hospital Colorado. Together, we trained local cardiologists and frontline doctors on performing atrial septostomy—a life-saving procedure critical for newborns suffering from Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). We also invited two Guatemalan cardiologists who serve children in hospitals far from their capital, where they previously had no options to help newborns with TGA. Many of these babies wouldn’t survive the long journey to receive care. What’s remarkable about this procedure is that it’s done bedside in the NICU, without the need for a cath lab or general anesthesia. While not a cure for TGA, it buys the child time to receive life-saving surgical care. Including Guatemalan doctors was part of our effort to expand the footprint of this knowledge exchange beyond El Salvador. Recently, Edwards redesigned the specialized balloon required for the procedure, making this training possible. We will expand this program to two more countries in the next few months, ensuring that even more lives can be saved. This investment in the future is evergreen—the impact will continue for years to come. Thank you to Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, Dr. Zablah, Dr. Morgan, and all the dedicated doctors working to bring hope, love, and mending to these communities. together, we are Mending Kids!We came, We hiked, We spent time together! This past Saturday, we came together for our annual Hike 2 Mend, and it was a day filled with energy, hope, and community spirit! Thanks to the incredible support of all our hikers, volunteers, and sponsors, we enjoyed a beautiful morning outdoors while raising awareness for the obstacles parents take to provide their children life-saving surgical care. The enthusiasm and generosity displayed were inspiring. Whether you trekked alongside us, donated, or helped spread the word, thank you for making this event a success. We look forward to many more adventures together! Special Thanks toDear Friends, Join us, THIS SATURDAY - September 21st when we come together at Cheeseboro and Palo Comado Canyon in Agoura Hills, CA to hike, connect, and raise awareness for the obstacles parents go through to bring their children to life-saving surgical care. Every step you take on this hike is a step toward providing hope and healing to a child in need. Date: Saturday, September 21st, 2024 |