Two Russian Children Receive an Early Christmas Gift – Lifesaving Heart Treatment at St. Francis Hospital
Roslyn, NY, December 18, 2009 – Until now, 4-year-old Mikhail Zimin and 8-year-old Alina Klimakhina couldn’t play like other children their age. The Russian boy and girl were born with holes in their hearts that made them tire quickly. But this Christmas both children received the best holiday gift ever: life-saving treatment at St. Francis Hospital that made their hearts whole again.
Mikhail and Alina, both from the Ulyanovsk region of Russia, were brought to the U.S. through Russian Gift of Life and Gift of Life, Inc., a humanitarian organization based in Great Neck, New York, that helps children from around the world receive life-saving medical procedures. Although Alina’s mother, Larissa, and Mikhail’s mother, Luba, are both physicians in Russia, they had to bring their children here to get the state-of-the-art surgery.
Through a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure, Sean Levchuck, M.D., Director of Pediatric Cardiology, was able to close the holes known as Atrial Septal Defects (ASD). Both children received the treatment the same day and now, less than 48 hours after undergoing the procedure, they will be getting a special visit from Santa and meet a 7-year-old American girl who had been treated for the same condition.
“It does our hearts good to see these children bounce back so fast,” says Dr. Levchuck, who performs hundreds of successful ASD procedures a year. “We are happy to see them laugh and play and have such a great holiday!”
“We have been working with the Gift of Life since the 1970s to help children from all over the globe receive much needed cardiac care,” says Alan D. Guerci, M.D., President and CEO. “As physicians and surgeons, this is what the spirit of giving is all about.”
Both children have been staying at the Ronald McDonald House with their mothers. Thanks to the kindness of others, they will be able to enjoy Eastern Orthodox Christmas in New York. Their parents say it’s going to be the happiest holiday they’ve ever had – and cannot think of a greater gift for their children than being given the gift of life.
Contact:
Paul Barry, 516-705-6657, paul.barry@chsli.org
Rosemary Gomez, 516-705-6656, rosemary.gomez@chsli.org
