PALESTINE CHILDREN'S RELIEF FUND

Sending sick children outside for free medical care
Many babies born with congenital heart defects never have a chance for surgery in the Middle East. Either they are too poor, too sick, or do not live in a country where treatment is available. The PCRF has not only been bringing teams to the region to treat them, but also sending children outside for free medical care.

Iraqi Baby Has Life-saving Surgery in Columbus
On March 8, 18 month old Badr Taha underwent life-saving open-heart surgery at Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH. He was sent by the PCRF with his mother, Donya. The boy was born with a congenital heart defect known as "tetrology of fallot" and was referred to the PCRF by Washington-based Civic. This is the second case brought to the USA referred by CIVIC. Badr's father and uncle were killed in the war and they are being cared for by volunteers from the local Iraqi community in Columbus. The surgeon was Dr. Mark Galantowicz.

Girl Has Heart Surgery
On February 3rd, three-year-old Tanseem Al Azza from the West Bank village of Yatta traveled to New Jersey for heart surgery. Her treatment was arranged in coordination with Rotary International "Gift of Life" program. She underwent invasive catheterization by Dr. Frank Gaffney at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Tanseem was born with a hole in her heart.

2 kids from Syria sent to Italy for open-heart surgery
On December 15, 2006, two Palestinian refugee children from Syria were sent to Children's Hospital in Naples, Italy for donated open-heart surgery by Dr. Carlo Vosa. Mahmoud Dowad, 10 y, from Yarmouk refugee camp, and Safa Mohailan, 12 y, from Damascus were both born with congenital heart disease. The PCRF has sent dozens of Arab children to Dr. Vosa in Naples for donated care over the past several years. He also led a mission to Jerusalem, where he operated on a dozen more kids. Both kids traveled with their mothers.

Iraqi Children Brought to USA for Open-heart Surgery
In late September, two Iraqi children and their mothers were brought to the US for free open-heart surgery. 3-year-old Rhma Ahmed and her mother Gania Hussien (photo) were sent by the PCRF to Albuquerque, New Mexico for cardiac surgery. Her treatment was arranged by the local chapter of Healing the Children. The PCRF is the Middle East contact for Healing the Children.

Also arriving in Cleveland, Ohio was 2-year-old Ahmed Ibrahim and his mother Dhuha Lateef Kamil. This child was accepted at Rainbow Babies Hospital in Cleveland through the support of Rotary International. See News Story

Refugee Baby Travels to Italy for Surgery
On May 10, 2006, 2-year-old Mohammed Salem from the Rashadiya refugee camp in south Lebanon was sent to Milan, Italy for open-heart surgery. The boy was sent with his mother Amal to San Donato Hospital, where Dr. Alessandro Frigiola treated the boy as a charity case. This child was discovered with heart disease by a mission in March to Lebanon's camps by Dr. Ziad Saba.

Refugee Girl Has Surgery in Portugal
On April 5, 2006, 7-year-old Ala' Anis Ahmed from the Badawi RC in Lebanon had life-saving open-heart surgery at the Hospital Santa Marta in Lisbon, Portugal, but Professor Jose Fragata. This is the third Palestinian child who has been treated by Professor Fragata as a charity case. She traveled with her mother Ezees.

Girl has life-saving surgery in Germany
In September, 2005, the PCRF sponsored the trip for 7-year-old Mona Abu Jaber and her father to travel from Jalqamoss village in the Jenin area to the University Hospital of Giessen, Germany for life-saving heart surgery. She had a large PDA closed in the catheterization lab through amplatz device.

Palestinian Child Sent to Naples for Surgery
On May 5, 2006 4-year-old Ahmed Saed from Damascus was sent with his mother Hanadi to Naples, Italy for free open-heart surgery. This boy is treated by Dr. Carlos Vosa, a surgeon who has treated dozens of Palestinian and Arab children through the PCRF on a charitable basis over the past several years.

Iraqi Boy Has Life-Saving Surgery in Virginia
On January 16, Yousif Yousif, a 9-year-old boy from the Iraqi town of Kirkuk, arrived in Charlottesville for open-heart surgery, which was not available to him locally. He is the only child of Nourhan, whose husband was killed several years ago in Iraq. The boy suffered from congenital heart disease and had surgery and treatment by Dr. Irving Kron, a pediatric cardiac surgeon, and Dr. Scott Lim, a pediatric cardiologist. The boy was brought to the US by the PCRF and will return back to Iraq once his surgery and recovery are complete.

Palestinian Refugee from Lebanon Has Heart Surgery in Italy
On December 20, 2004, 14-year-old Bahaa Soheil from the Badawi refugee camp in Tripoli, Lebanon had open-heart surgery through professor Carlos Vose of Naples, Italy. This is part of an ongoing program with the PCRF and Professor Vosa to provide free cardiac surgery for Palestinian suffering from heart disease. Dozens of children have had surgery in Naples, and Prof. Vosa led a mission to Makassed Hospital in April, 2004 in which several more children were treated in Palestine.

Syrian Refugee Travels to Italy for Free Surgery
In December, 2004, the PCRF sent 7-year-old Ghada Mostafa and her mother Ensaf to Naples, Italy for donated open-heart surgery by Dr. Carlos Vosa. The PCRF has sent several children from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria to Naples for surgery over the past few years, and Dr. Vosa has treated children in Palestine by visiting Makassedd Hospital in April, 2004.

Two sick babies have life-saving surgery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
In November, 2004, the PCRF sent Hassan Edeis, 2 years, from Dura/Hebron and Mohammed Abu Saleh (photo below), 8 months, from Nablus to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for free life-saving open-heart surgery at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital. Dr. Zohari Al Halees provided these children expert open-heart surgery which they could not get in their country. This is part of an ongoing project between the PCRF and King Faisal Specialist Hospital to save the lives of these sick babies, we would like to thank the Palestinian community in Riyadh for helping with these poor children, as well as the office of HRH Prince Naif for issuing them visas to enter the Kingdom for humanitarian treatment.

2 Babies and Their Mothers Travel to Italy for Life-saving Surgery
On June 29th, 2004, Ali Mazen Halahleh, 2 years and Thikra Ala' Wredat, 1 year, traveled with their mothers to Naples, Italy for life-saving open-heart surgery. The two boys are from the West Bank town of Hebron and will be treated by Prof. Carlo Vosa, who accompanied the children back from Palestine following his mission there in which he signed an agreement with the PA MOH to treat 50 children a year for free in Naples. These two boys were born with heart disease and would eventually die without treatment, which is not available locally. Over 30 children have been treated by Dr. Vosa in Naples through the PCRF over the past year, all done on a charitable basis.

Two babies Get Lifesaving Surgery in Saudi Arabia
On June 14th, 2004 two babies from Gaza, Arwa Shama and Mohammed Al Basuni, went with their mothers across the Rafah crossing to Cairo. There they got their visas to Saudi Arabia in order to travell for life-saving open-heart surgery at the Prince Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. Dr. Zohair Al Halees arranged for these two babies to get surgery for free at his center, surgery that is not available to them in Gaza. The children and their mothers tried three times to cross over Rafah border in the past, but were denied by the Israeli authorities following the new round of violence in Gaza and Jerusalem.

Gaza Baby Sent to Spain for Surgery
On May 2, 2004 the PCRF sent 13-month-old Bilal Wadi and his mother Suhad from the village of Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip to Seville, Spain for life-saving open-heart surgery. The boy had surgery through Dr. Antonio Sanchez and was cared for by local volunteers. This is the fourth child the PCRF has sent to Spain in the past several months for open-heart surgery.

Palestinian Girl Travels To Portugul for Life-saving Surgery
In May, 2004. the PCRF sent Hadeel Albazour, 2-years-old from Jenin, went with her mother to Lisbon, Portugal for life-saving open-heart surgery through Professor Jose Fragata, Director of the Pediatric Unit of the Hospital of Santa Marta. This is the second case that Prof. Fragata has treated at his hospital through the PCRF. This child was diagnosed with heart disease by Prof. Abdulla last December through a PCRF mission.

Life-saving Surgery Gives Baby New Life
On May 8th, 2004, 14-month-old Ansam Abdulnassar from Tulkarem traveled to Orange County, California for open-heart surgery at Loma Linda University Hosptial. This baby was accepted as a charity case by the hospital and stayed with local volunteers in the Southern California area. The surgery was successful and Ansam was sent back to his family with a repaired heart.

More Sick Children Have Life-saving Surgery in Italy
In early April, 2004, the PCRF sent Bissan Zaban, 6 years, from Ramallah and Ro'a Al Wazir, 12-months, from Nablus to Naples, Italy for life-saving open-heart surgery that is not available to them locally. This is an ongoing program with Professor Carlo Vosa in Naples, who recently led a mission to Jerusalem, where he treated a dozen babies with heart disease. He also has been accepting children in Naples as charity cases for open-heart surgery.

Palestinian Child Travels to Germany for Life-Saving Open-Heart Surgery
In April, 2004, the PCRF sent Thaymah Abu Daghash, 2-years-old from Tulkarem, traveled to Munich, Germany for life-saving open-heart surgery, which is not available to her in Palestine. This child was first diagnosed by Prof. Ra-id Abdulla in December, and will be treated by Dr. Christian Schreiber at Deutsches Herzzentrum München. In December of last year, the same team in Germany treated Ward Sleiman from Ramallah.

Girl Returns Home from Madrid Following Life-saving Surgery
On March 9th, 2004 Amani Ahel and her grandmother returned back to the Gaza Strip after the 12-year-old girl had life-saving open-heart surgery at the RC Hospital Ramon y Cajal in Madrid. She was treated as a charity case by Dr. Pedro Sanchez, and was well cared for by the local Palestinian community in Madrid, including the office of the Ambassador, Nabild Marouf and Dr. Taisir Jadallah.

Boy Returns Home following Life-Saving Surgery in Ohio
On March 15, 2004, 5-year-old Ibrahim Mahboub returned home to Palestine with his mother Fatima after successful open-heart surgery at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, OH. Ibrahim was brought to Ohio in cooperation with Gift of Life and the Rotary Club International District 6630. He was treated as a charity case by Dr. Hani Heneine, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery. The boy was initially treated by the PCRF when he was 7-months-old back in 1999, through a visiting surgical mission. His sister Salsabel Mahboub was sent by the PCRF to Belgium for open heart surgery two years ago.

Boy Travels to Munich for life-saving open-heart surgery
In December, 2003, the PCRF sent Ward Sleiman, 6 years, and his mother to Munich, Germany for life-saving open-heart surgery that is not available to him in Palestine. He is being treated on a charitable level by Dr. Christian Schreiber, a Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon at Deutsches Herzzentrum. This boy and mother are staying at the Ronald McDonald House there, and will return home to the Ramallah area once his surgery is completed.

Palestinian Refugee from Lebanon has Life-saving Surgery in Italy
In November, 2003, the PCRF sent 4-year-old Sarya Mohammed and her grandmother from Ein el Hilwah refugee camp in Lebanon for life-saving open-heart surgery in Naples, Italy. This child was born with the life-threatening disease, and is treated by Professor Carlos Vosa, who has treated several Palestinain children for free through the PCRF in the past year.

6-year-old Boy from Hebron Gets Life-Saving Surgery in South Carolina
In late November, 2003, 6-year-old Mohammed Obeid and his mother from the West Bank town of Hebron traveled to Charleston, South Carolina for life-saving open-heart surgery that was not available to him in Palestine. This surgery was arranged by the local Gift of Life Chapter and performed on December 1st at the Children's Hospital as a charity case. Mohammed's case was brought to the attention of local doctors and the Gift of Life group there by Geraldine Pearce, the Clinical Coordinator for Cardiothoracic Surgery Dept. there following a surgical mission to East Jerusalem through the PCRF last August. The PCRF would like to thank Gerry, the Gift of Life and the many doctors and nurses who have helped to treat this boy and save his life.

Sick Baby Has Lifesaving Surgery in Texas
In September, The PCRF worked in association with HeartGift of Austin, Texas in order to bring 1 year-old Zahia Zakout and her mother from the Northern part of the Gaza Strip to Austin for open heart surgery that is not available to her there.This is the second child brought by the PCRF with HeartGift for lifesaving surgery that is not available to them in Palestine. They were hosted by the family of Nasser and Elma Mahmoud, who have been kind enough to house other children in the past for treatment.

Jerico Girls Gets Treatment in Spain
In May, 2003 the PCRF sent 3 year-old Hiba Johari from the West Bank town of Jerico to Valencia, Spain for lifesaving open-heart surgery. Hiba was treated by Dr. Jose Caffarena on May 26th who successfully very complicated operation to repair a congenital heart defect. She had a transposition of the great arteries with interventricular septal defect and severe pulmonary stenosis. The operation lasted 7 hours. Hiba was later transported to the intensive care in very good clinical condition. Her postoperative evolution went very well and she has since recovered completely.

Gaza Boy Returns from UK after Life-saving Surgery
In early August, 2003, Moaz Abdo, 10-years-old from the Tuffah area of Gaza City, went to London for life-saving open-heart surgery. This operation is not available in Palestine and was arranged through the PCRF with "Chain of Hope" in the UK. Moaz went with an English volunteer from Gaza on August 4th and stayed with a host family in London. Moaz's surgery was completed on August 6th and he is recovering well.

The PCRF Sends Another Child To Nation's Capital for Life-saving Treatment
12-month-old Ahmed Hamami arrived with his mother Randa and aunt Kholoud from Nablus on Monday, February 4th for life-saving open-heart surgery at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. This boy's treatment was arranged by the PCRF through Save a Child's Heart, Gift of Life and the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. These same four organizations worked together in the summer of 2002 to provide cardiac surgery for Falastin Ali. The child is being cared for locally by active volunteers from the PCRF DC committee. Ahmed is to have surgery on the 12th of February.

Sick Babies Delayed at Check Point, Taken Off Plane in Milan
On January 29th, Diaa Saleh and Osama Badra, both 6-month-old babies from the Gaza Strip, left Palestine to travel for life-saving open-heart surgery at the University of Gent in Belgium. At the Erez checkpoint leaving Gaza, Israeli soldiers made the babies and their mothers, Iftikhar and Nanaa, wait in the cold wind for over two hours before letting them continue to the airport. "We told them that our babies were suffering from heart disease and should not be in the cold, but they said only that we had to wait," says Nanaa, the mother of Osama. By the time the children reached their connection in Milan, Italy, they were suffering from respiratory problems and were taken by Italian authorities for urgent hospitalization in Milan. They have since been transferred to Bergamo, Italy and the care of pediatric cardiac surgeon Dr. Giancarlo Crupi, who is a member of the PCRF medical advisory board and actively involved in saving the lives of sick Palestinian babies both at his hospital and by leading teams into Palestine. As of now, both children remain hospitalized in Bergamo waiting for a chance to have their surgery.

Palestinian Girl Has Heart Fixed in Nation's Capital
In August, The PCRF brought 2-year-old Falastine Ali to Washington, D.C. for lifesaving open-heart surgery at the Children's National Medical Center. Falastin is from a small village near Ramallah named Khirbat Musbah and was brought to the US in order to repair a hole in her heart. Falastin was in desperate need to fix a congenital defect that was stunting her growth. Falastin's surgery was arranged by the PCRF in association with the Larry King Foundation, Save A Child's Heart Foundation, and Rotary Gift of Life. Falastin's surgery was successful and she and her mother are looking forward to returning home soon. See Also PCRF in the News

Jewish Surgeon Saves The Life of Gaza Baby
In August. 14-month-old Hasan El Hawajry was brought by the The PCRF to Madison, WI for open-heart surgery at University Hospital. Hasan's lifesaving surgery was donated by by both the hospital and Dr. Daniel Cohen, a Jewish professor at UW Medical School and chief of congenital cardiothoracic surgery at University Hospital.
Read News Story>>>

Hebron Girl Gets Lifesaving Open-Heart Surgery at Cleveland Clinic
Sireen Jaradat is a 5-year-old Palestinian girl from the West Bank town of Adesah near Hebron. She was born with a hole in her heart (ASD) with a mitral valve defect which could not be repaired locally in Palestine due to a lack of pediatric cardiac surgeons and centers. The Palestine Children's Relief Fund arranged for Sireen to have free open-heart surgery in June at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. Dr. Brian Duncan closed the hole in her heart and repaired her valve in a four-hour operation on June 4th. Sireen stayed in the ICU for one night, and in the hospital for nearly a week total, all donated by the CCF to save this poor girl's heart.

Sireen came to the US with the baby Fehad Sbeih and his grandmother at the end of May. Fehad is to have open-heart surgery at the end of June at NYU Medical Center. The PCRF does not usually bring children for open-heart surgery without a parent or grandparent, but the mother of Sireen was not able to leave because of the travel restrictions in Palestine. The PCRF would like to thank in particular three volunteers who helped in taking care of Sireen in the hospital: Fida Mansour, Tami Hamid and Janet Habashi.

Sick Baby Gets Life-saving Surgery in Toronto
In March 2002, the PCRF sent Nuha Shilla, 2 years, and her mother from the Jalazone refugee camp north of Ramallah to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto for life-saving open-heart surgery. Working through the "Herbie Fund" at the hospital, which accepts charity cases, the PCRF arranged for the girl to have a debanding and closure of her VSD, which could not be done in Palestine. This after months of trying in failure to get the baby accepted at the Schneider's Hospital in Tel Aviv. Local volunteers in Toronto took good care of the baby and her mother, who stayed at the Ronald McDonald House.

Baby Gets Life-saving Surgery in New York
In February 2002, the PCRF sent Marah Shublak, 2 years, and her mother from Gaza to Stony Brook Hospital in New York for free open-heart surgery. This was arranged in cooperation with "Gloria's House of Hope", a local charity in New Jersey. The baby had a very complex heart disease, which was difficult to repair. The child spent over a month in the ICU, and is still in the US recovering at the time of this newsletter. Local volunteers from the area where kind in helping the baby and her mother during their stay there.

Sick Baby Gets Life-saving Surgery in Chicago
In March, the PCRF sent 2 year old Malak Daoud with her mother from Qalqilya to the University of Chicago Hospital for life-saving open heart surgery. Working with Dr. Emile Bacha, who went with the PCRF to Palestine in 1999, and Dr. Ziyad Hijazi, a pediatric cardiologist, the girl had surgery successful to close multiple VSDs in her heart. She was well supported and taken care of by the local Palestinian community in Chicago.

The PCRF continues to work to fight the problem of heart disease in Palestine. Here is a list of children that have been sent abroad by the PCRF for lifesaving surgery since 1998:

Isra'a Abdul Wahab, 6 years old. (Baghdad/Iraq). Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, 1998.
Nour Ashour, 4 years old, (Gaza/Palestine). Surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, 1998.
Solaire Ghanam, 11 years old. (Yarmouk refugee camp/Syria). Surgery at Methodist Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in cooperation with "Healing the Children." 1999.
Zahra Hamdan, 11 years, (Baghdad/Iraq). Surgery at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. 1999.
Afnan Zayed, 4 years, (Nablus/Palestine. Surgery at Lusanne, Switzerland, 2000.
Ali Kayed, 12 years, (Shatila Refugee Camp/Beirut). Surgery at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. 2000.
Yasmean Shkeir, 6 years old. (Zawya/Palestine). Surgery at Brompton Hospital, London, in cooperation with "Chain of Hope." 2000.
Ahmed Abu Taha, 2 years, (Ramallah/Palestine). Surgery at Christ Hospital, Chicago, IL. 2001.
Ehab Abu Yanes, 18 months, (Husan/Palestine). Surgery at Christ Hospital, Chicago, IL. 2001.
Bayan Tamimi, 8 months, (Hebron/Palestine). Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 2001.
Raya Shahoury, 2 years, (Nablus/Palestine). Surgery at Newark Children's Hospital, 2001.
Hala Hajaj, 9 months, (Gaza/Palestine). Surgery at Yale Medical Center, 2001.
Janat Natsheh, 10 months, (Hebron/Palestine). Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital, 2001.
Falestin Tarabin, 3 months old from Khan Younis. Had open heart surgery (BT Shunt) at Wolfson Hospital in Holon in May, 2001.
Kawther Fara: 14 months, from Khan Younis/Gaza. Suffered from TOF and PS, had open heart surgery in Wolfson Hospital in Holon in May, 2001.
Khadijah Safi, 12 years old, from yarmouk Refugee Camp/Syria. She had life-saving open heart surgery for VSD at Bergamo Hospital in Italy in April, 2001.
Mohammed Zediya: 11 months old, from Gaza. Had surgery to repair TAPVR in Wolfson Hospital in Holon in May, 2001.
Mohammed Najar: 11 years old, from Jebalya Camp/Gaza. Had balloon dialitation for AS in May, 2001 at Wolfson Hospital in Holon.
Mohammed bani Odeh, one month, from Jericho. Had Rashkin procedure at Wolfson Hospital in Holon in May, 2001.
Assad Ben Ali, 19 years old, from Jenin. Had open heart surgery at Gent Hospital in Belgium, April, 2001.
Obedah Sowafti, 8 years, from Jenin. Had open heart surgery at the University of Gent in Belgium, April, 2001.
Suzan Atrot, 4 years, El-Bireh/Ramallah. Had open heart surgery from the university of Gent in Belgium, April, 2001.
Ammar Amarny, 6 years, Yabat/Jenin. Had open heart surgery at the University of Gent in Belgium, April, 2001.
Nafezah Al Kom, 12 years, from Hebron. Had open heart surgery at the university of Gent in Belgium in April, 2001.
Ragheda Jenidi: 8 years, from Hebron. She had open heart surgery in Gent in Belgium in May, 2001.
Noor Kadim, 4 years, from Baghdad/Iraq. SHe had open heart surgery in Gent in May, 2001.