Who is in Israel This Week:
17/06/13
Save a Child's Heart is currently thirty one children:
Before surgery 
After surgery
BURUNDI
Dainess Hagabimana
Dainess is a sweet, quiet 12 year old girl from Kigwena, Burundi, where she lives with her family in a house in the town. Her father is currently unemployed and her mother is a housewife. Dainess is one of eight children and she really likes to play netball. Dainess also really enjoys going to school, and she is an excellent student. Her favorite subjects are mathematics and languages, and she is learning how to speak Kirundi and French. Dainess plans to continue to study so that she can become a doctor when she is older. Even though she has a heart condition, Dainess never had any difficulty playing and being active. Dainess only found out about her heart when she went to the doctor a year ago because she was experiencing some shortness of breath and tightness in her chest. Dainess’ mother, who accompanied her to Israel, is very happy and thankful that her daughter has the opportunity to be connected to Save a Child’s Heart and come to Israel to be cured.
CHINA
Lilu Jiang
Lilu is a five year old boy from China. Although Lilu is very thin, he has a great appetite. Lilu is a very friendly and curious child. Lilu lives in an orphanage in a small town close to Hangzhou, China. His parents weren't able to take care of him because of his condition, and brought him to the orphanage when he was two weeks old. At the orphanage, there are 80 children, most of them with health problems. The orphanage has a close connection with several doctors and with a hospital close by. Lilu's escort from China is a nurse from the orphanage who grew up there herself.
ETHIOPIA
Manayush Debebe
Manayush is a mature 15 year old young woman from Bonga, a town in Ethiopia near Jimma. She lives with her mother, who is a housewife, and two sisters. Manayush’s father unfortunately passed away when she was younger. Manayush enjoys reading about history and also learning and studying. She is in the 6th grade at school and she likes mathematics, but she has not been able to attend school since she found out about her heart condition because even though the school is not far from her home, it is too difficult for her to walk there and then sit for a long time. The local doctor diagnosed Manayush with her heart condition when she was 13 years old, when she went in for a checkup because she had a cough and her chest would get tight when she slept without a pillow. Manayush is very excited to go back to school and continue her education when she returns to Ethiopia after her surgery and work towards her dream of becoming a doctor.
Baritu Badiye
Baritu is a bubbly, energetic two and a half year old girl from the city of Jimma. Her father works as a manager at the embassy and her mother, who is with her in Israel, is a teacher. Baritu has one older sister, and her family lives together in a house. Baritu was diagnosed with a heart condition when she was just 3 months old. Her mother shared that Baritu had fainted and her lips and tips of her tongue and fingers were blue, so she took her to their local doctor who found Baritu’s heart condition. Even with her illness, Baritu shows no signs of weakness or tiring easily. Baritu is a happy little girl who loves to play and touch everything, and she is very fast. Baritu’s mother is excited for her daughter to get healthy, and she wants her to grow up and study hard so that they can then help other children who are also sick.
Sadam Abamecha
Sadam is a sweet, friendly nine year old boy from the area Agaro, located in the city of Jimma. Sadam’s father is a farmer and his mother is a housewife, and Sadam has two brothers and two sisters. Sadam goes to school and enjoys playing with his friends there. He also really likes playing football, but he gets tired easily when playing. Sadam found out about his heart condition when he was seven years old. He went to the hospital because he had a fever and was very weak and it was then that the doctors found a problem with his heart. Sadam’s favorite thing to eat is an Ethiopian bread called injera. Sadam says that when he grows up he wants to be a merchant, have a big shop and sell lots of things.
Ezikel Hedicho
Ezikel is a playful three year old boy who loves to smile and laugh. He lives with his family in Chida, Jimma, where both his father and mother are farmers. Ezikel’s parents own their own farm and grow corn. Ezikel has one sister who is older than him. Ezikel loves to play with toys and build with blocks. He wants to be able to run around like kids his age, but he can’t because he feels too tired. Ezikel was diagnosed with his heart condition when he was three years old and his mother took him to the doctor because he had a fever and his leg was swelling. Ezikel wants to be a doctor when he grows up. His mother, who is here with him in Israel, says that he takes a syringe and pretends to be the doctor and take care of other people. Ezikel’s mother looks forward to her son getting better and him beginning his education.
Lelise Sirna
Lelise is a kind and caring thirteen year old girl with a capturing smile from Bedele, a village in Ethiopia, close to the city of Jimma. Her father, Mohammad, is a guard of the village, and her mother, Asagerich, is a housewife. Lelise has 2 older brothers and 1 older sister. Her family lives together in a house in Bedele, except for one of her brothers, who lives in a neighboring village because of work. Lelise was diagnosed with her heart condition less than two years ago when she went to the doctor with a fever and sore throat, and now she experiences some symptoms like a cough and shortness of breath. Lelise enjoys reading books and going to school. She is currently in the 7th grade, but she had to stop attending school because of her illness. Lelise also likes playing with her friends, but she finds it difficult because she feels weak when she does. Lelise loved traveling to Israel because she got to fly on an airplane for the first time, and now she wants to be a pilot when she grows up.
GHANA
Jesse Louis Jackson Boamah
Jesse is a handsome 15 year old teenager from Ghana. He lives in an apartment in Mallam, which is close to Accra. He has two siblings; one older brother (who lives with family up north because it’s closer to his school), and one older sister who is currently attending medical school. Jesse lives with both of his parents. His mother has a small business selling jewelry from China, and his father is a contractor. Jesse attends highschool and also goes to Sunday school. He tells us that when he grows up he'd like to be a banker so that he can make a lot of money and buy a big house for himself, his parents, and his siblings (and also a cool car!). After school he likes to browse the internet, play video games, and read story books. He would like to play more sports, but hasn't been able to because it's too dangerous with his condition. Jesse is frustrated about this because he would love to go and cycle around with his friends. Since he was first diagnosed as a baby, he has had ups and downs and has been admitted to the hospital many times as his condition gives him breathing problems which forces him to use oxygen. After years of struggle he was truly happy to hear he could come to Israel and be cured. Not to mention, his biggest dream is to travel the world! He has gone on a number of tours with his Sunday school and enjoyed them very much, but his biggest dream is to see New York City.
IRAQ
Younis, Iraq
Younis is a five year old boy from Iraq, admitted to the Wolfson Medical Center on May 13, 2013 for treatment of his congenital heart defect. Younis was born with this defect, and now at five years old, he is displaying physical signs of his sickness. Younis has developed clubbing, which is a condition in which the tips of the fingers may swell or become bulbous. He also shows some signs of cyanosis, or the appearance of blue or purple coloration of the skin. Younis is in Israel with his mother, a happy and very calm woman who seems to keep up this balance at all times. Younis is a shy and reserved young boy at first; but once he feels comfortable he talks, plays, and enjoys life in general.
Honya, Iraq
Honya is a five year old girl from Iraq, who is in Israel with her mother. Honya is a very active little girl, always laughing and playing around. She is very determined, with a strong and spirited nature. She has enough character to fill a movie screen. Honya’s character shines through almost immediately. Nails painted pink, gold hoops in her ears, a foe fur jacket; this five year old has a better fashion sense than most adults.
MOLDOVA
Cristina Ursu
Christina is a beautiful 16 year old girl from Chrisinau, the capital of Moldova. She lives with her parents in a house and goes to school. She is in 10th grade but is having some trouble because she is not always able to attend the classes due to her condition. Her father is a construction worker and her mother works in a supermarket. Christina's favourit thing to do is sleeping! She doesn't know what she wants to do when she grows up but for now she thinks it would be amazing to become an American top model.
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
Odai, Palestinian Authority
Odai is only 12 days old. In his mother’s last month of pregnancy, an echo already suggested that Odai had a heart issue. When he was born, his color was okay, but when his mother tried to feed him he started to turn blue. The doctor who performed the echo referred the family to Save a Child’s Heart. Indeed, Odai had a hole in his heart, a rapid heartbeat, and his arteries were thickening. Odai has four older sisters at home who have still never met him. Every day they call their mother and ask how he is and when he is coming home so they can see him. Odai’s mother is a housewife and her husband is currently unemployed. The whole family lives in one room in a house in the West Bank that belongs to Odai’s father’s family.
Abdalla, Palestinian Authority
Abdalla is a tall twelve year old boy with short brown hair. He lives with his parents, three sisters, and a brother in an apartment building in Nablus where his entire father's side of the family lives. Abdalla's lips have been blue since he was born, but the doctors decided to wait until he was twelve for his first surgery. He has never been allowed to play too much because he gets tired easily. Abdalla is in the 6th grade, but his parents say that he doesn’t like school very much. The only subject he likes is math. Abdalla has a strong personality and loves Play Station, playing on the computer and playing football, in moderation.
Ahmed, Palestinian Authority
Ahmed has spent the first three months of his life in a state of sickness. He is very small and doesn’t eat or grow. Since birth he has been cyanotic, very weak, and had breathing difficulties. His grandmother says that he is always sick and sleeping and has to go to the hospital in Gaza all the time to get more oxygen. Ahmed lives in a large house in Gaza with his parents, two older brothers and many relatives, including his grandmother who came to the hospital with him.
Sela, Palestinian Authority
Sela is the picture of cuteness with her chubby cheeks and light wavy hair. At one year old, this is not Sela's first surgery, she had 2 surgeries just days after she was born. She was very cyanotic when she was born and the doctors sent her straight to Wolfson Medical Center to have surgery when she was two days old. Her parents say that even after her first two surgeries Sela has had trouble developing. She hasn’t been able to gain weight and is very sedentary. She gets sick often and none of her teeth have started to grow in. Sela lives with her mother, father who is a car mechanic, and older sister, with whom she gets along with very well. Sela is very quiet but loves to smile.
Moatez, Palestinian Authority
Moatez’s blond hair is cut into the cutest bowl cut, framing his adorable face. Moatez is only a year old and has already had two surgeries and is waiting for his third. He has three sisters and one brother, all older than him, and he lives with them, his parents, and his grandmother in a house in Gaza. Moatez’s parents knew since birth about his heart condition. He was born very blue and had difficulty breathing. The doctors have told his family that he has a hole in his heart and his veins don’t function as they should. Even though he has had surgery before, he still is blue and gets sick often. Moatez crawls all over the place. His mother says that he loves to move and smile. When he is feeling well he also loves to watch TV and play with his siblings.
Kamal, Palestinian Authority
At just over a year old, Kamal’s grandmother describes him as a beautiful boy with a strong personality. Kamal has two older siblings, a boy and a girl back in Gaza. At home Kamal lives in a large house bustling with his immediate family, his grandparents and all of Kamal’s father’s family – 18 people in total. Kamal’s mother stays at home to take care of the children, and his father is a worker. When Kamal was born he was very blue. He was sent directly to Israel for treatment. The doctors found that the veins in his heart are constricted. Kamal had his first surgery at only 15 days old. After that surgery his health improved, but not completely, and 5 months later he was sick again. However, the doctors told his family that at 5 months old he was too small to receive the surgery needed to completely cure his problem. So now, at one year and two months old, Kamal is having his second. Kamal has to go to the hospital in Gaza every two weeks to get oxygen. Kamal loves to dance to music and watch TV.
Jude, Palestinian Authority
Jude is a three year old boy from the Palestinian Authority.
Mohammed, Palestinian Authority
Mohammed is an eight month old boy from the Palestinian Authority
Nazmi, Palestinian Authority
Nazmi is a one year old boy from the Palestinian Authority
Teka, Palestinian Authority
Teka is a four year old girl from the Palestinian Authority
Hadeel, Palestinian Authority
Hadeel is a two year old girl from the Palestinian Authority
Lian, Palestinian Authority
Lian is a two year old girl from the Palestinian Authority
ROMANIA
Laurentiu Macovei
Laurentiu is an eleven year old boy from Romania. Laurentiu comes from the village of Furnikar, near the city of Tamasi in Romania. He lives in a house with his parents and his older brother and sister. Laurentiu’s father is a construction worker and his mother is a house-wife. Laurentiu was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at the age of four months, when he went to the doctor with the flu. He attends the third grade in school and although he loves it, he has to miss it often due to his illness and is already a year behind. Laurentiu has trouble reading but is very good in writing. At school he likes to play football and to draw, but he prefers to stay at home next to his mother, because he is scared something will happen and she won’t be there. Laurentiu was referred to Save a Child’s Heart by Dr. Georgina, who trained with us last year.
Matei Mihaila
Matei is a lovely 2 year old boy from Romania. He lives with his parents in a big house in Vaslui. Matei's grandparents live with them and help his parents take care of him and his older brother, Stefan who is 8 years old. Matei's father is an administrator and his mother works in a kindergarten. Matei is a joyful little boy who smiles at everyone who comes near him. Matei loves to draw and play with his mother. The two of them are very close and you can see them playing hide and seek like they are the only ones around - they only have eyes for each other!
Daniel Bogdan
Daniel is a "laid back' seventeen year old teenager from Romania. Daniel was diagnosed with his heart defect immediately following birth. This is his third time in Israel. Upon arrival to SACH he quickly became a friendly, familiar face to the children in the SACH home. He patiently jokes and plays with the other children in the SACH house and is a big brother to the younger ones. Daniel is currently in grade ten and sometimes (sometimes!) even does homework in order not to fall too far behind his class while he is in Israel. Daniel says he doesn't have an absolute favorite subject in school, but if he had to choose, it would be history. He loves watching horror movies and listening to music in his free time. His favorite singer is Enrique Iglesias. Daniel also enjoys watching and playing several sports, especially football and basketball, though playing these games has been difficult with his heart defect. Daniel's favorite team is AC Milan.
SYRIA
We currently have a child from Syria being treated by our doctors at Wolfson Medical Center. She is four and a half years old and is in Israel with her mother. She has already undergone surgery and is now recovering in the children's ward.
TANZANIA
Kulwa Monica Mathias
Monica is a delightful 13 year old girl from Tabora, a small city in Tanzania. She is a bit shy but lightens up when she giggles. Monica never feels lonely because she grew up with 8 siblings in her parents' house. She is the youngest and has 4 brothers and 4 sisters, who all live close to her even though most of them are married and have kids of their own. Monica loved going to school but had to quit 2 years ago because of her heart condition, the school was too far and she became too weak to walk all the way and back. Since then she is helping her parents who have a small farm. They grow tobacco, corn, sweet potatoes and rice. Usually Monica helps out with the washing, cleaning and sometimes preparing food. In the weekends she plays with her nephews and nieces. She hopes that coming to Israel will help her feel strong so that she can attend school again. Her big dream is to be a teacher one day.
Nelson Elvin John
Elvin is a polite and somewhat shy boy from Tarime, Tanzania. He lives with his grandparents and their 8 children. His parents live far away with his 2 year old brother. They asked his grandparents two years ago if Elvin could stay with them so that he could attend school as their home is very far away. His grandfather is a farmer and his grandmother a traditional doctor. Elvin likes living with them and tries to help out wherever he can in the household. He enjoys going to school but he cannot attend every day because of his heart condition. During the nights he sometimes suffers from chest tidiness' and bleeding nose, which makes him tired and too weak to attend school. He likes to draw and play with the other children. His big dream is to be cured here in Israel so that he could go back to school and study very hard and become a teacher.
Bundara Neema Lucas
Neema is an 8 year old girl with a charming smile and glistening eyes. She comes from a small city in Tanzania called Musoma. Neema lives with her mother and stepfather, she is an only child. She spends a lot of time with her mother as her stepfather has two jobs; he is a road contractor and a driver. She loves to play outside with the children of the neighbors. Neema's favorite food is ugali with fish. Her stepfather sometimes goes fishing and brings her fish which makes her very happy. She was excited to come to Israel because she had never traveled before and saw it as a big adventure. Neema attends school on a daily base; she is in grade 2 and really likes to learn. She didn’t really have severe problems due to her condition but she was never as strong as the other girls. This is why she is so happy to be in Israel, she hopes the doctors can help her become stronger so she can help her mother more. In her own words ''I want to be free'' …