Who is in Israel This Week:
5/02/12
Save a Child's Heart is currently treating twenty one children:
Before surgery 
After surgery
ANGOLA
Adilson Gabriel Alberto
Gabriel is a sixteen year old boy from Luanda, Angola. Gabriel lives with his mother and three of his siblings, a 10 year old boy, a 14 year old girl and a 19 year old girl. His older sister, who is 22 years old, is married with two children. Gabriel attends 9th grade and absolutely loves school. His favourite subjects are Math, Physics, Chemistry, Portuguese and English. He loves to spend time with his friends, who come often to his house, read, listen to music and watch movies. Since he arrived to Israel, Gabriel has been learning English with the volunteers, and his English is improving every day! Being the oldest boy in the house, Gabriel became the big brother of all the other children.
Guiomar Francisco Sebastião Filipe
Guiomar is a beautiful and gracious fifteen year old girl from Angola. Guiomar lives in Luanda with her parents and her seventeen year old sister Jessica. Guiomar loves to sing and to pose for pictures. She misses her sister, whom she is very close with and looks up to. Guiomar studies at a technical school in 7th grade. During the weekends she likes to go out with her friends to the cinema and to the park.
Obama Mbongo Bernardo Mpaxi
Obama is a 2 and a half year old boy from Luanda, Andola. Obama is the youngest of 4 children, having 3 older sisters, Suzete, Marlene and Eunice. He lives with his parents and sisters and spends his days at home with his mother, playing and watching TV. He loves to eat, specially soups and salads.
Sofia Antonio Ngunza
Sofia is a ten year old girl from Angola. She lives in Luanda with her parents and 4 brothers aging 1 to 13 years old. Sofia loves to play sports, especially football, which is the family’s favorite sport. To show their love for football, Sofia’s parents named all her brothers with names of renowned football players. Sofia studies in 4th grade. She loves to eat a Portuguese dish called Arroz Doce (Sweet rice).
IRAQ
Najlaa, Iraq
Najlaa is an eight year old girl from Iraq. Her family has known of her heart malfunction since three months of age, but no help was available. Najlaa was critically deprived of oxygen and very weak when she arrived in Israel, her lips and fingertips were a deep shade of purple, a grievous indication of poor health. Beneath Najlaan's cyanotic skin, however, is truly a heart of gold. Every so often, a shy smile spreads across her face. She has never been to school, and just began speaking clearly this year. Moreover, monthly trips to the hospital have been a part of her routine as cyanotic spells (fainting from lack of oxygen) occur frequently. Her mother is a gentle and quiet woman with six other children at home.
Aryan, Iraq
Aryan is a one and a half year old boy from Iraq. By nature, Aryan is a joyful child, and it doesn't take much to entertain him. What a bundle of joy he is! When he flashes his little, genuine, joyful smile of excitement, it just melts anyone’s heart. Aryan’s mother is a graceful woman, who is happy to be here for Aryan and yet wished that she could be home for her other children.
Hawre, Iraq
Hawre is a 17 year old boy from Iraq, who has already had one heart surgery that failed. He is a precious young man and his mom is very compassionate and sweet. Hawre has a delightful personality always trying to help and please everyone. He is also a little Don Juan, greeting the women he meets with a kiss on their hand. Hawre is very playful and very transparent, showing his thoughts through his eyes. Being the second oldest in a line of 6 siblings, Hawre is always ready to help and comfort the younger children from Iraq.
Asma, Iraq
Asma is a 13 year old girl from from northern Iraq. She is a very sweet girl with a very gentle spirit and she always tries to help in every way she can. Asma has 6 siblings, being the 3rd youngest. Asma is a very smart and curious girl always probing and seeking. With a notebook and a pen in hand, she is always writing down as many new words as possible from our English and Chinese-speaking volunteers. Her aspirations to become a pediatric cardiologist are well matched with her passion to learn. Asma arrived in Israel with her mother, for whom this is a very difficult trip. Asma’s mother shared with us that she has had two children who have died of heart disease.
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
Adam, Palestinian Authority
Adam is a three and a half month old baby boy from Khan Yunis in Gaza. He is the second youngest of his three brothers. Adam’s mother is a pharmacist and his father is a UN officer. Adam was first diagnosed with a heart condition at the age of two and a half months, after he displayed symptoms of a fever and breathing problems. When his condition was discovered, he was hospitalized and connected to oxygen to facilitate his breathing. He stayed at a hospital in Gaza for one month and arrived by ambulance to the Wolfson Medical Center due to his need for facilitated oxygen. Adam’s symptoms also included heavy breathing, blue lips, rapid heart beats and lack of weight gain. Adam’s whole family is anxiously awaiting his return home.
Haya, Palestinian Authority
Haya is a four month old baby girl from the Palestinian Authority.
Dima, Palestinian Authority
Dima is an eight month old baby girl from Gaza. She was first diagnosed with a heart condition one month after birth. Dima was turning blue and had difficulty breathing. Dr. Azab diagnosed her with a heart condition and referred her to Save a Child’s Heart. Dima has also been diagnosed with Down Syndrome and has difficulty hearing. Despite her health conditions, Dima loves playing with her one brother and two sisters. She is the youngest in the family. At home, Dima and her family live in a private house 15 minutes away from the nearest hospital by car. Her mother is a housewife and her father has seasonal work in construction.
Salma, Palestinian Authority
Salma is an eight month old baby girl from the Palestinian Authority.
Lian, Palestinian Authority
Lian is a sweet six month old baby girl from the palestinian Authority.
Ali, Palestinain Authority
Ali is a two year old boy from the Palestinian Authority.
Dina, Palestinain Authority
Dina is a one year old baby girl from the Palestinian Authority.
Minna, Palestinian Authority
Minna is a two year old girl from the Palestinian Authority
Moziona, Palestinian Authority
Moziona is an eight month old baby girl from the Palestinian Authority
Wafaa, Palestinian Authority
Wafaa is a five year old girl from the Palestinian Authority
TANZANIA
Stephano Elias Mashimba
Stephano is a four year old boy from Tanzania. He was one of the many children screened during the Save a Child's Heart Medical Mission and Kilimanjaro Climb in August 2011, commemorating ten years since the untimely passing of the beloved Founder of SACH, Dr. Ami Cohen. Stephano was diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease at the age of eighteen months because he suffered from pneumonia and breathing problems. He is from the Magu District, two and a half hours by bus to the Bugando Medical Center, where he attends clinic once a month. Stephano is the youngest of 9 children. He has four brothers and four sisters. His mother is a house wife and his father a farmer.
Kulwa Samwel Kichiba
Kulwa is a six year old girl from Tanzania. She was one of the many children screened during the Save a Child's Heart Medical Mission and Kilimanjaro Climb in August 2011, commemorating ten years since the untimely passing of the beloved Founder of SACH, Dr. Ami Cohen. Little Kulwa came to SACH without a parent and arrived bewildered and scared. Her eyes say it all. But within a day she felt more secure especially with the accompanying nurse Yoyo and the other children from her country. She even managed to flash a smile here and there. Kulwa is diagnosed with Congenital Heart Disease. She is a twin and in addition has two brothers and three sisters. Because of her illness she does not yet attend school. But Kulwa loves books and quickly discovered the bookshelves at the SACH Children's House. She is now proudly walking around with a book in hand. At home she spends her days playing and resting. Kulwa's mother is a housewife and her father is a farmer. The family lives in very crowded conditions in a two room mud house located in the Shinyanga District a two hour bus ride to the hospital in Mwanza.
UGANDA
Gracious Okadaro
Gracious is an eight month old baby boy from Uganda. Gracious was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at the age of 3 months because his weight didn’t increase. He was admitted to his local hospital due to flu and lack of oxygen and from there refferred to the Huloago Hospital where they met a person from Gift of Life who refferred them to SACH. Gracious lives in Soroti district with his parents and 3 older siblings. His mother is a secretary in a school and his father a teacher at a secondary school.