Dr. Tam T. Doan, Vietnam

After treating Vietnamese children with complex heart diseases, Save a Child's Heart (SACH) sent a medical team to visit Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam with the intention of supporting the cardiac program there.

That was where I met great people and had the opportunity to start one of the most interesting journeys in my life.  Following the offer I received from Dr. Akiva Tamir, Director of Pediatric Cardiology at the E. Wolfson Medical Center and Simon Fisher, Executive Director of SACH, I decided to further my training in Israel in the field of Pediatric Cardiology.

I arrived in Tel-Aviv International Airport after the war in the north of Israel had ended.  My fellowship through SACH at the E. Wolfson Medical Center lasted from August 2006 to August 2007.  Like other medical people in training with SACH, I stayed at SACH house together with the children from different corners of the globe.  I travelled to the hospital every day except Shabbat to help treat the children with heart diseases and to learn from the great team. 

I participated actively in the Pediatric Cardiology Clinic, took care of the children in the Pediatric ICU, and the Pediatric Surgical Ward. 

I joined the cardiologists doing consultations from the Pediatric Department, Neonatal ICU and Newborn Nursery.  I participated in most of the cardiac catheterizations, performed and read many transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms, and started to learn fetal echocardiography under the guidance of Dr. Tamir and the Cardiology team. 

I also had the honour to observe many cardiac surgeries performed by world-class cardiac surgeon, Dr. Lior Sasson.  I made a presentations in the department and at the Israeli Pediatric Cardiology Conference.  I met and worked with medical students from Israel, USA, Canada, Ireland, and Jordan who came to do their electives.

At SACH/WMC, I witnessed the expertise of the medical team with excellent outcomes, and the children's bravery to overcome their illnesses.  What makes the children special is that they came from different ethnic backgrounds; some of them came with no parent by their side, played together, underwent heart surgeries, recovered, and went home to have normal lives.  I met, learned, and made friends with the volunteers at SACH who also came from different part of the world.  Together, we gave our hands and hearts to make a difference in these children's lives. 

I owe Dr. Tamir for his support along my way and the mentorship and friendship that he offers.  His teaching method was very thorough.  He shared with me many of his life and medical experiences.  He always asked me if my room was good enough and whether I had enough food to eat or I had warm clothes for the winter.  Many of Jewish holidays are very family-oriented, and I was invited to attend most of the occasions with his family.  These will remain as unforgettable memories in my life.

The experience I had at SACH/WMC was unique.  I was trained by talented specialists, came across with different cultures of the Jewish, the Arab, the Ethiopian, and the Tanzanian. 

I took the chance to travel across Israel to see the most conflict and beautiful city of Jerusalem, the liveliness of Tel-Aviv, the gaunt and majestic beauty of Masada, the uniqueness of the lowest point on earth – the Dead Sea, the fresh beauty in front of the Sea of Galilee, and many more archaeological, biblical, and historical sites. 

I spent my 2006 Christmas Eve with my fellow friend's family, Dr. Rula Awwad's in the West Bank, and attended the ceremony inside the Mass in Bethlehem.  Together with my friend, Einav Barazany, one of the most active volunteers at SACH, made trips to Egypt and Jordan.  We enjoyed the feeling of standing in front of the imposing Pyramid of Giza, Egypt – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the other time exploring the Rose-red City of Petra, Jordan – one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

One may consider one year is a long time, but in this particular time of my life, I feel it ended too soon.  It made my life richer and affected my way of thinking.  I learned so much from the people I met.  I know that I will carry this on to make myself a better person and advance my career to a higher level.  I'm happy to see SACH is growing and keeping up with the great work.

Tam T. Doan, MD.