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Novick

Joy to the World !

December 2010

Dear Friends, Supporters & Volunteers:

Joy to the World! Thanks to our friends, supporters and volunteers, parents around the world have joy in their hearts not only at this time of the year, but all year long. They are celebrating the lives of their children because of your generosity.

With the holiday season approaching and 2010 rapidly coming to an end, we reflect on all the wonderful things that were accomplished this year with the help of our supporters and volunteers. This year, you helped provide operations to over 700 children in 16 countries. What an amazing gift you gave to their parents! A gift they will always cherish and be thankful for – - a gift that goes well beyond Christmas morning. These children are now living healthier lives and their parents look forward to the holiday season with joy instead of despair.

As you think about your year-end giving, we ask that you remember International Children’s Heart Foundation. For 2011, we have 50 medical mission trips planned to 15 countries, where we anticipate providing operations to over 1,000 children with congenital heart defects. You can be a part of this lifesaving effort by making a donation by the end of the year.

Our budget for 2011 is a little over $2,000,000. For a $2,000 donation, you can help save one child’s life – a small price to pay for a gift that lasts a lifetime! For every $2,000 donation you make, we will send you a picture of the child your donation saved. This child and their family will be forever grateful for your gift.

Every dollar you give will make a difference in a child’s life, so please give whatever amount you can afford. For each $20.00 gift you make, we will send a holiday greeting card to your friends or loved ones. Please fill out the form below and return it with your heartfelt gift today. Hundreds of children are waiting for their chance atholiday joy. Your generosity will make it happen!

We are very appreciative for your support this year that helped save the lives of so many children. We look forward to your continued support in 2011. Over 1,000 children are depending on your help next year.Secure Online donations can be made @ www.babyheart.org. Checks can be mailed to ICHF, 1750 Madison Ave., Suite 500, Memphis, TN 38104

May the spirit of the season fill your heart with love, peace and joy. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Warmest regards,

William M. Novick, M.D.

Founder & Medical Director

PS: Remember, the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. Please give generously so your joy can continue to reach children around the world.

Tags: baby, babyheart, birth defect, christmas, congenital, heart, ICHF, Novick, pediatric, philanthropy, third world

Friday, December 10th, 2010 Uncategorized No Comments

D E D I C A T I O N / Dedicação

The sights, smells, and sounds of a medical mission trip are like no other. And, it only takes experiencing one of these medical trips to scratch the surface of understanding the dedication that the medical volunteers have for this cause.

June 29th in Maceio, Brazil was a typical day. The “day shift” left the hotel by 7am for a full day of surgery and recovery. This particular trip is comprised of 15 medical staff plus several interns and guests. This list includes people from all over the USA (NE, TN, IN, LA, GA, CA, MI, etc), United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Only 2 of those on the medical staff are full-time employees of the International Children’s Heart Foundation – the rest are taking vacation time to volunteer to operate on the children in this poorest region of Northeast Brazil.

The day included two surgeries and the surgical team didn’t return to the hotel until almost 9pm. These 14 hour day are not uncommon at all on ICHF trips. In the ICU there are about 6 kids at any given time. The good news is that the Operating Room and the ICU are air-conditioned. The children are taken to the OR by their parents just as in the USA. The medical team gets ready in a space about as big as a closet. One of the ORs is very tiny and some of the local equipment leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately our entire shipment of equipment and supplies is still being held up at customs in Sao Paulo.

The dedication factor hits me in many areas of the hospital but particularly in the Operating Room. The various physicians, nurses, perfusionist, etc. are on their feet the entire day with very little rest in between cases. The concentration to perform heart surgery on tiny babies is intense. Every once in a while the mood is light, but for the most part things are very serious in the room.

Then it hit me….most of these medical experts are donating their vacation time to travel across the globe to share their expertise to save children who might otherwise die. D E D I C A T I O N. And, the medical staff that are employees of ICHF are also sacrificing incredibly to dedicate their lives to ICHF and saving children. Their sacrifice is beyond comprehension. They could be making much more money in the USA. And when they are back in the USA between trips they are still working long days to organize the next trips, raise funds, write medical papers, etc. It is truly incredible to realize what all of these people are sacrificing to provide this humanitarian service worldwide. These are Moms and Dads, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters travelling to strange lands, leaving their families to work in less than desirable conditions – all for the greater good of the world.

Outside the Operating Room there are physicians and nurses working in the ICU with the children who have completed surgery. Every team member is a critical link in the chain to make sure the children are able to return home healthy. There are tense moments in the ICU as some children hit bumps in the road as they recover. Some of these medical volunteers work 12 hour shifts and others work 24 hour shifts. It seems like someone is always coming and going from the hotel.

One of the most interesting areas of this hospital is the pediatric ward where the patients go after surgery. One large room with old metal beds and cribs where the patients recover. Windows are open because there is no air-conditioning in this part of the hospital. The hot, sticky air causes everyone to sweat as they sit there. This area is on the top floor of the hospital where the heat rises and makes the muggy room practically unbearable. Children cry and parents linger by the bedsides of their children. At night many of the parents have nowhere else to go so they sleep on the hard floor. Thankfully, one of the guests on this trip has purchased three air-conditioning units and we have arranged to have them installed before we leave.

DEDICATION – there is no other word to describe the sacrifices given by our medical staff and volunteers!

WATCH VIDEO FROM THE OPERATING ROOM VID00039

Pictures from Brazil:

: Surgical Team performing Open Heart Surgery on a child

: Dr Novick creating a new valve out of pericardium

: Patient recovering in ICU

: The Pediatric floor where patients go after ICU. No air conditioning.

: Happy patient during recovery!

: Dr Novick performing surgery in Brazil

: Open Heart Surgery

: This little girl will have to wait to have her surgery until we return in November.

: Respiratory Therapy

: This little boy has very low Oxygen levels but will have to wait for surgery until we return in November.

Tags: Brazil, cardiac, children, congenital, heart, ICHF, international, Novick, pediatric

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment

Current Ukraine Medical Trip

From May 8th through May 22nd, ICHF has a medical team in Kharkiv (or Kharkov), Ukraine. Kharkiv is the 2nd largest city in Ukraine. The city is located in the northeast of the country. As of 2006, its population is 1,461,300. Every year, 6000 children are born in Ukraine with genetic heart diseases. Only will half will receive the surgeries that they need to survive, and will die. (Info from our partner, Chernobyl Children’s Project).

Some pictures and stories (Thanks to Frank Molloy of ICHF and Caroline Lonsdale, Volunteer)….

This is Natalie – age 24 – she was operated on Thursday 13th of May – the fourth day – of the 8th Mission of ICHF to Kharkiv. Interviewed Friday 14th May
When I met her on friday morning she slightly surprised me by speaking reasonably fluent English – she called me over in english – at this time she still had most of her tubes and wires in place – “Is my operation over, was I good?” – she was at this time less than 24 hours after her surgery “you have golden hands” she told me – a message I think to the whole team – she was hot and uncomfortable and I helped her sit up and sponged her back with a cold flannel -
She asked and I told her that today we would be taking out all her tubes – not to worry – and that she would have some medicine to make her a little sleepy and pain free while we did that , we did that – and she slept off the medication for a few hours – and then I took this photo..
Natalie is 24 – pictured with her sister Dina – 26 – Natalie was born with an abnormal Aortic Valve which had become leaky and was in need of replacing. The defect had been diagnosed 2 weeks after birth – so Natalie knew she had a heart problem all her life – with this type of defect the usual plan is to wait as long as possible before any surgery – as the natural valve can still function well for many years. Natalie told me how in recent years she had become increasingly tired and sweaty and get a headache with any exertion- she also described how her hands and feet would swell up and she described them as “ugly” – she likes to swim, and do disco dancing but could not do this as much as she wanted to in recent years. When asked what she was most looking forward to in life now – she said (through her sister Dina whose English was better than Natalies’ ) she wants to satisfy her soul, be pretty – get a husband and have children . Natalie and her sister both work as sales managers – which they described as “not hard work’ meaning physically she could manage that type of work with her heart problem.
She has a yellow and red cat – likes reading, swimming in the Black sea – likes driving a car and wishes someday to drive a motor boat, a popular pastime on the black sea by Odesa.
Natalie was very tired at the time of this picture – she wanted to leave the ICU and go back to her room – because she could not sleep here – her oxygen tube had been recently taken off her and if her oxygen levels stayed OK I told her she would for sure be able to leave in the next hours or two – I also told her that – subject to her surgeon Olga ( the local chief cardiac surgeon) she would probably be able to go home on Monday. Natalie was very surprised at this – and I followed up by asking what she was most looking forward to when she got home – “Drinking lots of cold water-” she said (fluid restriction after cardiac surgery makes many patients feel very thirsty) – she then looked away from me – grimaced – I thought she was going to laugh but she started crying , wiped her eyes – and said that the other thing she was most looking forward to was holding her mother, and her brother.

Some of the other patients include:

Kamila Cherkasova – 25 days old. Double outlet right ventricle. Right BT shunt performed. Kamila has been sick, but is getting slowly better. Remains in ICU, but is not on a ventilator.

Elina Lemoschenco – 1 year old. Patent ductus arteriosus. Elina had a PDA ligation, did very well. Discharged from ICU the following day.

Tatyana Golubkova – 17 years old. Aorto-atrial fistula and PFO. Tatyana had this repaired, extubated quickly and discharged from ICU the following day.

Achkason Bogdam – 16 months old. VSD closure. Extubated quickly and doing well.

Tatyana Lazazova – 3 years old. PDA ligation. Extubated quickly, and doing well.

Angelica Kurligina. 17 years old. Atrial septal defect repair, also found to have total venous anomalous drainage in OR (suspected by our cardiologist) which was also repaired. Angelina was extubated within 20 minutes of arrival in ICU. Discharged to the ward the next day.

Julia Kostomarova: 4months old. Tetralogy of Fallot with patent foreman ovale. Complete repair done. Extubated the following day. Remains in ICU at present with heart rhythm issues, but doing well.

Kristina Terehova: 4 years old. Tetalogy of Fallot with right pulmonary artery stenosis, who had had a previous BT shunt (not sure where) – Repaired. Extubated an hour after arrival in ICU. Should go to ward later this afternoon.

Dima Grudina: 2.5 years old. Atrial septal defect. Repaired. Extubated a couple of hours after arrival in ICU. Walked to the ward the next day.