Italian pediatric cardiac surgery team enters Gaza to start saving lives

On Sunday, October 6, a nine-member team of doctors and nurses from Italy, supported by a great local anesthesiologist from Palestine, crossed into Gaza to start a mission in pediatric cardiac surgery at the European Hospital in Khan Younis.  Led by Dr. Stefano Luisi, the team included Palestinian anesthesiologist Dr. Hassan Ismail, intensivist/anesthesiologist Dr. Paolo del Sarto, intesivists Dr. Piergiorgio Setti, Dr. Simonetta Maghelli and Dr. Alessandra Napoleone, perfusionist Marco Tiddia, nurse Giuseppina Dolfi and surgeon Dr. Corrado Tramontin.   This is part of the "Healing Hearts" Campaign to build up the first and only pediatric cardiac program for the hundreds of children born each year in Gaza with heart disease, and is being sponsored also by our partner Cycling4Gaza.  After the team set up in the European Gaza Hospital, they operated on the first baby, 11 day old Mohammed Ahmed from Rafah, who was suffering from coarctation of the aorta.  

 from Musa Nasir