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Israeli Cardiology Team Conducts Intensive Medical Work in China By Sheila Shalhevet (Shelia Shahelvet, who writes a travel column for this website, is also the official photographer of the Israeli Save a Child's Heart Foundation, which provides free heart surgery for children from Third World countries. Shalhevet spent a good deal of time in China when her husband was an official Israeli representative in Beijing. In this article, she wears a somewhat different hat from that of a travel writer-photographer and describes a recent Israeli medical mission to China) In October of 2006, a large volunteer medical team from the Israeli Humanitarian Foundation, Save a Child's Heart (SACH), arrived in Shijiazhuang, China to begin a ten-day intensive medical collaboration with the Hebei Provincial Children's Hospital. This is Save a Child's Heart 7th Mission for International Cooperation to China. SACH is an Israeli-based project, founded by the late Dr. Ami Cohen, whose services are provided at the Wolfson Medical Center near Tel Aviv.
(A youngster in the catheter lab) From chief surgeon, to physiotherapists and volunteers, all substantially contribute their time without payment to provide quality pediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries, regardless of nationality, religion, ethnic background or financial status. In 10 years of work, by the end of 2006, we will have operated on over 1600 children from 26 different countries and have trained dozens of medical personnel in the field of pediatric cardiac care through training programs in Israel and in our partner countries. Director of the Cardiothoracic Department at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel and Chief Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgeon, Dr. Lior Sasson, led the SACH team, together with Chief Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Akiva Tamir, and Dr. Ilan Cohen, Deputy Director, Pediatric ICU, Drs. Simon Yakobashvilli and Alexander Sherman, Anesthesiologists, all from Wolfson Medical Center, and Dr. Liviu Manuk, Pediatric Surgeon, Moldova, who is currently training with the SACH team at Wolfson.
(Normally, children like this youngster come the Wolfson Medical Center for treatment. They are from around the world, including the Palestinian Authority and, recently, from Iraq) They were joined by Dr. Livia Kupusta, Pediatric Cardiologist, and Bob Rijk, Senior Echo Technician of the Children's Heart Center in Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, in the Netherlands, as well as Dr. Avraham Matityahu, Chief Pediatric Cardiologist, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel and Dr. Yoram Ben Yehuda, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
(From left, parent, child and nurse in China during the Israeli medical team's visit) Working side by side with their Chinese colleagues were Anat Mastor and Tomer Darshan, Heart Lung Machine Technicians, Olga Gur and Svetlana, Operating Room Nurses, Maureen Benita, Catheterization Nurse, Irena Nosel, Chief Pediatric ICU Nurse, and Revital Cohen, Deputy Chief Pediatric ICU Nurse, also of Wolfson Medical Center. Rounding out the team were SACH Volunteers and Board members, Debra Silver, and myself as SACH Photographer. We both photographed the mission from every angle and had the joy of entertaining our little patients and their parents with bubbles, balloons and endless smiles. Yoram Benita, in coordination with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, videoed and interviewed both the Israeli and Chinese team.
(The Israeli medical team performs a surgery with their Chinese counterparts) The SACH team, which arrived after midnight, was already in the hospital by 8 a.m. the next morning, meeting with the Director of Hebei Children's Hospital, Dr. Li Jiang, and Director of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery Dr. Jianming Wang. Immediately after the meeting, the group divided into teams to begin evaluating the children for medical procedures. By the end of the first day, one surgery had already been completed, numerous echocardiograms done, and lists set up for surgery and catheterizations for the following day, when the new catheterization lab was inaugurated. On Sunday and Monday, a PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) hands-on training course, taught by Drs. Yoram Ben Yehuda and Ilan Cohen and Nurse Irena Nosel, was held for over 100 participants from the hospital and around the province.
(After surgery...) By Tuesday October 31, the team had completed nine surgeries, nine catheterizations and dozens of echo examinations, with four more procedures scheduled for the next day. To our delight, four children (see photograph) who had been operated either in Israel or in China by the SACH team in the past came for checkups, hugs and the assurance that all was well. By the time we left, this extraordinary mission performed a total of eleven surgeries, ten catheterizations, and dozens of echo diagnoses. Children were also evaluated to be brought to Israel and Holland for surgery.
(Yan Shuai Jin) The PALS project was a great success, with over 100 participants. We met old friends both on staff as well SACH children who came in for checkups. There are not enough words to thank the staff of Hebei Provincial Children's Hospital for their cooperation, kindness and help.
(Ziao Kang) It was an exhausting week, yet no one gave up a minute of the experience to go to bed early or to take a nap. The SACH family grew closer than ever. I personally want to thank SACH for giving me the opportunity of being a part of this experience and allowing me to photographically document every aspect of the mission, while the doctors and nurses patiently explained to me what they were doing, why and how. The smiles of the children and their parents will stay with me forever. We believe that To Save a Child is to Save a World! MAGIC HOUR IN SHIJIAZHUANG Five O' Clock in the afternoon was magic hour at the hospital in Shijiazhuang, China. Bubbles Silver, also known as Debra Silver, our dynamic Board member, readied her equipment while Savta (Hebrew for Grandmother) Sheila (me), readied her camera and tried to teach Deb how to blow the bubbles correctly.
(The "right" way to blow bubbles!) Deb got the crowd going, but I am definitely the champion bubble blower. It was time to entertain the children and to bask in the joy of their happiness and laughter. Here are Debra's words. "It was an incredible journey with Save a Child's Heart on a medical mission to the Provincial Children's Hospital in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province!
(Liu Feng Wang) Surgeons, anesthetists, pediatric cardiologists, operating room and catheterization nurses, ICU specialists and nurses, the director, another member of the board who is the volunteer photographer the past 6 years...and me, Bubbles, the play lady and clown. I had shows at 2 and 5 each day in the stairwell hall outside the wards...a sort of smoking lounge and play area!
(Cao Yuzhang) I fell in love with every child and every parent and everyone wanted a photo with me! It was very empowering and transformative to work on so many levels and healing modalities from touch to laughter. Nothing
can really compare to the absolute joy and release when a parent realizes that
their child will survive and even have children of their own...and when you know
that you have helped create this miracle of love and science...of Jewish values
and Israeli chutzpa.
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