Day Four of Healing Little Hearts in Romania
Day four in Romania has been an eventful one! The day began with elation in the air and an eagerness to continue aiding Romanian children on their path to a healed heart. Let’s check on some of the children from earlier this week!
Luca sleeping today.
Luca was resting very well today. A lot of his swelling has gone down and he spent his day sleeping and hanging out with his mom!
Alexia resting today.
Alexia also spent most of her day sleeping to heal her little heart!
Eric recovering in the ICU.
Eric playing with Nurse Cameron and some of the other nurses!
Eric was feeling great today! Later in the afternoon, he began to cry so some of the nurses went in to check on him. Turns out he just wanted some attention and some milk! Eric was loving playing with his bubbles, his bunny toy, and even his Gift of Life International teddy bear. At one point he picked up the teddy bear and gave it a hug! We are so glad that Eric’s heart healing journey is going so smoothly and that he is getting back to his happy self!
Operating Room Nurse Maddalena Bonomi, part of our team from Italy, checks on Evelina.
Evelina is doing amazing! She is very aware of her surroundings and loves wiggling her hands and feet around. She also loves attention!
Healing Persists: Gabe and Victor
Our two heart healing cases today were on Gabe and Victor!
Gabe being held by his mother before surgery.
Gabe is a one year old boy that was diagnosed with supravalvular pulmonary stenosis (SVPS). This is a condition where the blood vessel that leads from the heart to the lungs is narrowed above the valve that controls blood flow into the lungs. The narrowing can cause restrictions of blood flow into the lungs, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and in some cases heart failure. Gabe received surgery to widen the blood vessel, allowing blood to flow more freely! Gabe’s surgery went well and he is currently recovering in the ICU.
Nurse Jordyn Cameron and the rest of the day team receiving Gabe in the ICU after surgery.
Victor with his mother before his surgery.
Victor was our second child to have surgery today. He was diagnosed with an ASD! He received surgery, had a patch placed on the hole in his heart, and is recovering nicely in the ICU. He is a huge mama’s boy and is the most calm when his mother or grandmother are in the room!
Two Teams, One Heart: Our Surgical Team from Italy
The Italian team is pictured here, in the front going left to right: Dr. Francesco Santoro, Maddalena Bonomi, Dr. Elena Ribera, Dr. Romana Taccori, Giuseppe Squillaci, Dr. Giorgio Calabrese. Then, Asha Owens, Dr. Gabe Owens, and a local medical professional. In the back: two local medical team members and CEO Rob Raylman.
On this visit to Romania we are joined by an incredible surgical team from Italy! The team includes two surgeons, an OR nurse, a perfusionist, two anesthesiologists, and a cardiologist. This team of medical professionals is extremely skilled at what they do and we are so grateful that they have taken the time to volunteer this week!
Dr. Francesco Santoro scrubbing in for surgery with Dr. Elena Ribera.
Today we got to speak with Dr. Francesco Santoro, one of the surgeons on this visit! Dr. Santoro is from Italy and currently works at Giannina Gaslini Institute in Genoa and specializes in pediatric cardiac surgery. He specifically works for the Gaslini International corporation, where his job is to go to different countries to do operations. Dr. Santoro has been working for this corporation for over ten years, but he has been a surgeon since 1985!
Maddalena Bonomi helping Dr. Franceso Santoro prepare for surgery.
Francesco Santoro first came into contact with Gift of Life International in 2017 in Haiti, where he met CEO Rob Raylman. With Gift of Life International, he has been to over twenty countries, three continents, and has healed over four hundred little hearts in the last eight years.
Dr. Santoro likes that he gets to work with his team from Italy during these visits because it makes the process smoother for everybody since the team is already comfortable with each other and have a routine. “For us it’s a beautiful experience,” he says. “Generally we do one mission per month. One week to ten days we do operations. Our main sponsor is Gift of Life International, but we have relationships with other associations and NGOs as well that are local (Italian). Every year we do seventy to eighty operations.”
Dr. Francesco Santoro (left) and Dr. Elena Ribera (right) perform surgery, while Dr. Romana Taccori (middle) observes.
“I think it is very important that NGOs support these activities in this kind of country where maybe there is money, maybe there is structure but there is no help. The idea is to support the local team to improve capacity for the public.”
Dr. Giorgio Calabrese with his birthday cake and balloons in the ICU breakroom.
Today is Dr. Giorgio Calabrese’s birthday, and even still he was more than happy to be in Romania with Gift of Life International. For his dedication to healing little hearts, the team surprised him with a birthday cake and balloons!
We are lucky to have Dr. Santoro and the rest of the Italian team here in Romania: Dr. Elena Ribera, Maddalena Bonomi (OR nurse), Giuseppe Squillaci (perfusionist), Dr. Giorgio Calabrese (anesthesiologist), Dr. Roberto Tumbarello (cardiologist), and Dr. Romana Taccori (catheterization anesthesiologist). Without their skills and expertise this visit would not be going as smoothly as it is, and these little hearts of Bucharest would not be healed! Thanks team!
A World of Healing, One Heart at a Time
As our fourth day in Romania concludes, the unwavering dedication to healing shines brighter than ever. Working hand in hand with our team from Italy, whose expertise and passion are truly invaluable, highlights the power and importance of unity and partnership. Gift of Life International plays a vital role in supporting local communities in the countries we visit, and brings hope to children in need across the globe. With each successful surgery and every small step towards recovery, we are reminded that together, we are building a world where every child has the chance for a healthy heart! Stay tuned for our final two days in Romania!
