Charlestonians Hold Their Breath

Samaritan's Purse
Friday, 27 July 2001

Two Children in Need of Life-Saving Heart Surgery Try to Make It to The Holy City from Their War-Torn Country, Tuesday, July 31

The war may be over, but the fighting hasn't stopped in Kosovo. In fact, politics and red-tape are affecting the most innocent of citizens—two children in need of life saving heart surgery.

Franklin Graham's international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, along with The Rotary Gift of Life have made arrangements for 7-year-old Dan Kabashi and 5-year-old Hyra Kurti to be treated at the Children's Hospital of the Medical University of South Carolina. The children both suffer from congenital heart defects, and are unable to get the medical treatment they need in Kosovo.

To make matters worse, passports and visas for the children, their mothers, and interpreter have been delayed after a recent attack on the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia. "It's so heartbreaking and frustrating. If we can just get them to Charleston, we can help them," says Dr. Susan Vitalis, project administrator of Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project. "We are working on this around the clock to make sure they will be able to make the trip this week."

These are the first children Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project has brought to Charleston since 1998. Samaritan's Purse handles travel logistics for the children, their mothers, and an interpreter; pays all travel expenses; and arranges for a local family to host the children during their recovery period in the United States.

Samaritan's Purse, based in Boone, North Carolina, identifies children with life-threatening heart disease in countries that lack technology and training, and matches them with surgeons and hospitals in the United States that are willing to donate their time and services.

Since the program started in 1997 in response to a critical need in Bosnia, the Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project has brought more than 120 children to the United States for life-saving heart treatment. In addition to medical care, Samaritan's Purse provides state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and training for doctors overseas. The machines enable doctors in those countries to better diagnose defects, identify candidates for surgery, and ensure that the children are matched with the proper specialists in the U.S.

For more information, or to contact Samaritan's Purse, see their website at: www.samaritanspurse.org