Healing Little Hearts in Romania
This week Gift of Life International is in Bucharest, Romania at Grigore Alexandrescu Emergency Children’s Hospital. As of now, there will be eight surgical procedures and fifteen catheterization procedures done throughout the week!
The Gift of Life International team (minus a few!) on the first day of the visit.
This visit is Gift of Life International’s first visit to Romania since 2019.
In 2016, Gift of Life International was invited to join a group of charities that would work together to develop a sustainable pediatric cardiac program in the country of Romania by an NGO based in Israel. Grigore Alexandrescu Emergency Children’s Hospital was developed just one year before, in 2015. Gift of Life International agreed, and in 4 years we conducted 15 visits to Bucharest.
By the year 2019, the program in Bucharest was functional enough to care for their own children with the continuation of funding by Gift of Life International. Almost 300 children had their little hearts healed between the years of 2016 and 2021!
In 2022, the program was disrupted by the unexpected leave of a surgeon. Without this surgeon, the program could no longer run on its own, and sat idle until this visit! Now, Gift of Life International is back to ignite a spark and rekindle the flame of healing hearts in the people of Romania!
Sunday Screenings, Preparing for the Week
Yesterday we screened patients for surgery and cath, and planned out the schedule for the week! Each day there will be two surgeries and three catheterization procedures.
The local and visiting team screening patients for surgery.
Members of the visiting team talking with one of the surgical patients, Stephania.
The visiting and local teams work together to screen children for surgeries and cath.
Visiting team organizing supplies for the week.
Sunday began our catheterization procedures for the week. There were three done, beginning with Vlad!
Vlad holding his mother’s hand while resting after his procedure.
Vlad did great after his procedure yesterday, and was able to be discharged and go home today!
Dr. Herbert Stern, interventionist, with Vlad.
Pictured above is Vlad and the doctor who did his catheterization procedure, Dr. Herbert Stern. Vlad left a happy and healthy boy with a new take on life thanks to his newly healed heart!
Vasile in the ICU.
Mariam before her procedure.
Vasile and Mariam were the other two cath procedures performed Sunday. They both went home today as well!
Monday: Hope in Action
Today our teams completed two surgeries!
Nour was rolled out of the operating room and into the ICU by nurses Michaela Behrmann and Margaret Gosland, along with respiratory therapist Dan Villareal.
Nour is three years old and had a ventricular septal defect (VSD), or a hole in between the two lower chambers of the heart. The surgeon healed Nour’s heart by placing a patch over the hole! Now, Nour has a second chance at life as a child, and will be able to play, breathe, and eat normally!
Stefania before surgery.
Stefania is sixteen years old and had an atrial septal defect (ASD) closure! This congenital heart disease is characterized by a hole in the upper chambers of the heart, and is treated the same way as a VSD! Both Nour and Stefania are resting and recovering in the ICU.
Today’s procedures also consisted of three more catheterization cases!
Ioana before her procedure!
Deacon before his procedure.
Nicolas after his procedure with his Gift of Life International teddy bear and t-shirt!
All three children did great during their procedures and are currently resting in the ICU! They will all go home tomorrow, unless there are any unforeseen complications (which is very unlikely).
Little Hearts Connecting: Special Friendships Blossom
Speaking of catheterizations… While waiting for their procedures, children go through screenings, tests, and a lot of preparation. Children awaiting surgeries can be together for hours. This time and shared experience of coping with congenital heart disease can forge unexpected bonds!
Marian awaiting his catheterization procedure in the ICU.
This is where Marian comes in.
Marian is a fourteen year old boy with the sweetest demeanor. He is polite, kind, and walks around the hospital ICU with a comforting attitude and a friendly face. During the wait for his surgery he made friends with multiple other patients waiting for their procedures as well. Remember Vasile from earlier? Marian connected with Vasile through their shared experiences.
“He was in the room with me and I kept going to play with him, and I somehow got close to him,” Marian said.
Though they are years apart in age, they formed a bond over having to go through the same scary situations, facing the unknowns that congenital heart disease brings. Marian also formed a friendship with Deacon, who is closer in age.
After Vasile and Deacon’s surgeries, Marian made sure to check on both of the other boys. When Vasile was getting his postoperative echocardiogram (or ultrasound of the heart), Marian was there. Marian held Vasile’s hand and gave gentle encouragement to him and his mother.
Marian holds Vasile’s hand during Vasile’s postoperative echocardiogram.
Marian talks with the doctors and Vasile’s mother after the echocardiogram.
Marian also kept Deacon company today after Deacon’s catheterization procedure was complete. Marian checked on his new friend multiple times in the hours after the procedure, making sure Deacon was okay and did not need anything.
The untold struggles and hardships that come with being born with congenital heart disease are only truly understood by the kids who have it, and seeing them come together to lift each other up during these hard, but hopeful times is truly magnificent to witness. Not only are our medical teams helping to heal these little hearts, but the connection and support through new friendships is as well!
Setting the Sun on Day One in Bucharest
As day one comes to an end, we get ready for the busy, exciting week ahead. The promise of healed hearts extends beyond the walls of Grigore Alexandrescu Emergency Children’s Hospital. It’s a promise that ripples outwards, touching families, communities, and the future of pediatric cardiac care in Romania. With determination and compassion, Gift of Life International and its partners are poised to make this week a turning point in the ongoing story of hope and healing.
Stay tuned during the rest of the week to learn more about our visiting teams from Italy and the United States, the local team, exciting happenings, and more heartwarming stories like Marian’s. See you tomorrow!
