Iraqi kids' hearts fixed at Schneider Hospital

Two young children have gone back to their home country of Iraq ready to live healthier, more active lives following receiving critical heart surgery at Schneider Children's Hospital (SCH) in New Hyde Park.
Through the Rotary Club's Gift of Life program, Hayder Obaid Mia, 4, and Noorul Huda Hayder, 2, came to SCH, with funding being provided by the Syosset High School Interact Club and the Countess Moira Foundation. Both children were born with holes in their hearts.
&#8220At Schneider Children's Hospital, our commitment to medicine transcends government and political boundaries,” said Dr. Philip Lanzkowsky, the hospital's executive director.
Mia had surgery on November 24, 2006. Hayder's surgery took place on December 5, 2006 and also included a cardiac catheterization. Each surgery took an estimated two to three hours.
&#8220They both came at the right time,” said pediatric cardiologist Dr. Dipak Kholwadwala, adding that without the surgeries the children would have probably had shorter life spans. &#8220They should both have a normal life.”
The Gift of Life program was formed in 1995 to provide children with life-saving heart surgery. To date, the program has helped more than 9,000 children representing more than 70 different countries.
&#8220The trust the Iraqi people have put in our hands for the life of their children is something that every soldier takes seriously,” said Sergeant Marikay Satryano, who helped the families get the necessary medical assistance. &#8220It's something that we respect and it's something that we will always, always remember.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Mia's mother, Sabeha G. Hawi, and Hayder's grandmother, Haseena A. Haddad, expressed their thanks and appreciation to those who helped their children, adding that they were happy to see their children health.
When the children first arrived, they weighed less, were not as interactive and were lethargic. However, Mia and Hayder have since gained weight and are much more energetic.
&#8220It's really been quite an amazing transformation in a child in such a short amount of time,” said Carisa Steinberg, who heads the Syosset High School Interact Club and visited Mia regularly with the club's executive board. &#8220I know especially for my students it's extremely rewarding. You really can't do anything better.”
The children and their families, accompanied by Satryano, left January 7 to go back to Iraq.
For more information on the Rotary Club's Gift of Life program, visit www.giftoflifeinternational.org.