Remember this boy?
When we first met Yahya he was five years old and we were trying to send him overseas for his lifesaving operation.
The doctors told us that he needed a valved conduit – so we went in search for the piece that could save his life. We found it. The only problem was that the Turkish government was revising their import laws and the local supplier was out of stock.
Because we couldn’t bring Yahya and the device together to Turkey, we were forced to cancel his surgery.
Now Yahya is nearly six years old and he has still been waiting for his heart surgery. Everything changed when Dr. William Novick told us that he could fix Yahya’s heart without depending on a valved conduit that was half way across the world.
Today he will create the piece that we hope will save Yahya’s life!
The best part (from a macro perspective) is that this is something he’s going to introduce to the local surgeons so that Yahya and all the other children in Iraq waiting in line for $7,000 devices don’t have to go overseas. Furthermore, whereas current devices certainly need replacement, there is a good chance this technique will allow the piece to grow with Yahya’s body.
Best case scenario: Yahya may not need a re-operation like he would have from the expensive name brand.
Eventually, they might be able to insert valved conduits by the hands of their local doctors here in Iraq!
We’ve loved our journey with Yahya and today is a milestone for all of us—and all 38 of you who gave to his surgery!
It’s a milestone for Yahya because he’ll be given the surgery his parents have been waiting six years for.
It’s a milestone for the local surgeons because they will begin to learn a groundbreaking, life-changing technique.
It’s a milestone for you because you’re helping us create local long-term solutions to local problems. Follow Yahya as he gets his new heart TODAY!
