In
2001, the PCRF began working with Terres
de Hommes to send Palestinian children from the West Bank
to Lusanne, Switzerland for open-heart surgery that is not
available to them locally. The surgeon in Lucanne is
Dr. Antonio Corno,
who visited Palestine through the PCRF to assess the
medical situation firsthand there in 2000. Unlike the children
that we sent to other parts of Europe or the US, these children
do not travel with an adult, so the PCRF chooses older children
who are able to go abroad without their parent. The
PCRF hopes to continue to provide life-saving surgery in cooperation
with TdH and other relief groups to deal with the ongoing
problem on congenital heart disease in Palestine and the Middle
East.
PCRF
Sends Two Children to Switzerland for Heart Surgery
In December 2003, the PCRF sent Reema Ghaith, 11 y, from the
West Bank town of Hebron and Diaa Aokal, 10 y, from Beit Hanoun
in the Gaza Strip to Lusanne, Switzerland for open-heart surgery
that is not available to them in Palestine. This is an ongoing
program between the PCRF and Terres des Hommes, a organization
devoted to helping medically children in need. Several children
have already had life-saving surgery in Lusanne between the
PCRF and TdH over the past three years. The children are being
treated for free.
Two
Palestinian Children Have Life-Saving Open-Heart Surgery in
Switzerland.
In November 2003, the PCRF sent Hamza Sabber, 11 years, from
Hebron and Ala'a Al Shami, 9 years, from Bethlehem for life-saving
open-heart surgery in Lusanne, Switzerland, which is not available
to them in Palestine. This program is in cooperation with
Terres des Hommes in Jerusalem. In late November, Hamza (photo
enclosed) had surgery by Dr. Antonio Corno, and one December
22nd, Ala'a had surgery by the same surgeon. These children
are part of a program to help provide cardiac care for Palestinian
children, and nearly a dozen such cases have been transferred
to Lusanne over the past two years.
Two
Gaza Girls Return Home
from Lifesaving Surgery in Switzerland
On September 7th 2003, Malak Kishta, 6, and Ahlam Hamad, 11
years, returned to the Gaza Strip after being nearly three
months in Lusanne, Switerland for life-saving open-heart surgery.
Both girls were born with congenital heart disease which could
not be treated in Gaza. They were sent by the PCRF in cooperation
with Terres des Hommes in East Jerusalem, and treated by Dr.
Antonio Corno. Over a half-dozen children have been sent by
the PCRF with TdH to Lusanne for life-saving surgery.
Khan Younis Boys Have Life-saving Surgery
in Lucanne
In July 2002, the PCRF sent two boys with congenital heart
disease from Khan Younis to Lucanne, Switzerland (photo above)
for cardiac surgery. Khaled Abu Salama, 8 years, and Mohammed
Bucheed, 11 years, were both born with a life-threatening
heart disease that could not be treated in Palestine. In coordination
with Terres des Hommes, the PCRF arranged for these boys to
have surgery by Dr. Tony Corno. Both had surgery in late August
and returned home in late September following successful treatment.
These were the fourth children sent to Lusanne by the PCRF
and Terres des Hommes.
He is a list of children treated in Switzerland:
1. Afnan
Zada: 2 years, from Nablus. This girl was born with heart
disease and had open-heart surgery by Dr. Tony Corno in Lusanne,
Switzerland in April 2000.
2. Mirhaz Yacoub, 12 years, from Jenin. He was sent
to Lucanne in September, 2001.
3. Haithem Al Amoudi, 9 years, from Nablus. He was sent
to Lucanne in September, 2001.
4. Khitam Ouda, 12 years, from Qasra/Nablus. She was
sent to Lucanne in January, 2002.
5. Khaled Abu Salama, 8 years, from Khan Younis/Gaza. He
was sent to Lucanne in July, 2002.
6. Mohammed Bucheed, 11 years, from Khan Younis/Gaza. He
was sent to Lucanne in July, 2002.
7. Khaled Abu Salama, 8 years, from Khan Younis/Gaza. He was
sent to Lucanne in August 2002.
