4-year-old Sanusey is the 4,000th child saved by Save a Child's Heart!
4-year-old Sanusey from Gambia is recovering from open heart surgery at the
Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel. He is the 4,000th child saved by
Save a Child's Heart.
http://www.saveachildsheart.com/israel/

Sanusey and his family live in the small city of Brikama, Gambia, just south
of the country's capital. At just three months old, Sanusey was diagnosed
with a congenital heart defect. The surgery needed to repair his heart is
not available in Gambia. After over three years of traveling back and forth
to the local hospital for testing every other week, his doctor began looking
for a way to get Sanusey the surgery he desperately needed. Thankfully, the
Chairman of the Zionist Foundation UK, Paul Charney, stepped in and made the
connection between Gambia and Save a Child's Heart. With his help contacting
Ambassador Paul Hirschson at the Israeli Embassy, Save a Child's Heart was
able to bring Sanusey and three other Gambian children to Israel for
surgery.

Sanusey arrived to Israel on Sunday, May 15, together with 12 other children
from both Gambia and Tanzania. He was accompanied by his older sister,
Penda, and stayed very close to her during the many hours of travel from
West Africa. The next morning, Sanusey, along with the rest of the children,
was taken to the Wolfson Medical Center for initial examinations. He waited
his turn, walking hand in hand with a Save a Child’s Heart team member who
had accompanied the group to the hospital, while making sure that his sister
was never too far away from him. At the hospital, Sanusey became anxious,
collapsed and stopped breathing. In a matter of moments, the whole medical
team rushed to his aid in the examination room and began resuscitating him.
It took over an hour and, fortunately, the medical team finally managed to
stabilize Sanusey and he was taken immediately to the Operating Theater for
emergency heart surgery to save his life.

Dr. Lior Sasson and his medical team operated on Sanusey for hours. Penda
sat in the waiting room, crying and hoping for the best. Thankfully, the
surgery was successful! Only three days after his operation, Sanusey was
sitting up in bed and smiling. He is currently recovering at the Save a
Child’s Heart Children's Home in Holon. His contagious laughter bellows
through the house as he plays with volunteers and the array of toy trucks
and arts and crafts activities. He radiates confidence and it is a pleasure
to see him play with the other children from all over the world, smiling,
happy, and finally healthy.

Bringing Sanusey to Israel for life-saving heart surgery would not have been
possible without the help and support of SACH UK and SACH Switzerland, who
connected Save a Child's Heart to the Sherman Trust who co-sponsored
Sanusey's surgery, and Brussels Airlines, who helped sponsor Sanusey's
flight. Thank you!

Photo:
http://bit.ly/1ZU9xpR