Putting children first

For the past 25 years Heart to Heart’s volunteers have been training Russian surgical teams to perform complex cardiac surgery, with an emphasis on infants and newborns. Heart to Heart-trained Russian teams have provided 16,000 children and their families with the opportunity for state-of-the art life-saving cardiac care. What started as a sincere reply to save the life of one very sick Russian child over two decades ago, has evolved into Heart to Heart partner sites performing 25% of all Russian newborn open heart surgery. Every week we hear more good news – stories of children saved and families transformed.

One thing I have always appreciated about Heart to Heart is that our organization puts children first. Children are apolitical and not affiliated with any religious movement, just like Heart to Heart. So even during turbulent political times – like the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union – we remain focused on what we do best, and what matters most to us – saving innocent children from the suffering associated with heart defects.

Every 30 seconds somewhere in the world a baby is born with a life-threatening heart defect that can likely be repaired. Heart to Heart’s medical volunteers not only know how to save those babies’ lives, they have been incredibly successful at teaching hundreds of Russian doctors and nurses how to provide this proven cure to save thousands more in the future.

It is an incredible privilege to be a part of saving a child’s life. I invite you to join our effort and help us expand our work to make our world a better place, and to save as many children suffering from heart defects as possible.

Respectfully,

Nilas Young, MD
Founder & Medical Director, Heart to Heart Global Cardiac Care