Heart Defects: Surgery Saves Fatma Abdul Aziz's Life
As printed in the Spring 2005 edition of Leaps and Bounds.
Fatma Abdul Aziz was born with life-threatening heart defects that could not be treated in her own war-torn country. With the aid of 2nd Lt. Todd Wilson, along with a number of groups and individuals who wanted to help, Fatma was brought to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in August 2004 to undergo heart surgery.
A Second Chance
It was an incredible journey for 7-year-old Fatma Abdul Aziz, who lives with her parents and three sisters in a small village in Iraq. The little girl was born with life-threatening heart defects that could not be treated in her own war-torn country. Alarmed by her increasing fatigue and poor appetite, her father brought her to the US military base outside Baghdad seeking help.
Fatma's plight came to the attention of 2nd Lt. Todd Wilson, a physician's assistant with the Army's 1st Infantry Division stationed in Iraq. Wilson had connections with a former colleague of Peter Manning, MD, director of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cincinnati Children's. This was the key to securing treatment for Fatma at Cincinnati Children's, along with months of heroic collaboration by a number of groups and individuals who just wanted to see a little girl get well.
A Shaky Beginning
Fatma arrived at Cincinnati Children's on Aug. 20, 2004, accompanied by the leading pediatric cardiologist from Baghdad, her aunt and American host Marian Tarvin. She
originally left Iraq on July 10 with a brief stopover planned in Jordan. But, says her aunt, she became very ill on the flight, due to an infection in her heart. As a result, she had to stay in a Jordan hospital for five weeks. "She missed her family terribly, especially her father," her aunt explains. "But she is very, very brave. She didn't cry when they put in a central line for the antibiotics."
At Cincinnati Children's Fatma sat quietly throughout her visits to cardiology and radiology. Since she speaks no English, she
relied on her escorts to translate. Even so, she had no understanding of the medical terms being discussed or the legalities. But she brightened somewhat when a nurse presented her with stickers.
A Promising Outlook
Fatma underwent surgery to repair the hole in her heart on Aug. 25, and she stayed in the United States for nearly two more months for antibiotic therapy to treat her heart infection.
"The surgery went well," Dr. Manning told reporters who covered the story. "We're optimistic she'll make a good recovery from this."
Meanwhile, Fatma and her family, separated by 8,000 miles, eagerly awaited their reunion.
Fatma Gets Her Reunion
After her long journey to recovery, Fatma is doing very well, reports her host mother, Marian Tarvin. "She gained nearly six pounds since she arrived. She occasionally runs, skips and even dances a little – things I am told she could not do before."
Fatma left Cincinnati on Oct. 5, and was reunited with her friends and family in Iraq on Oct. 8. Her family says she remembers every moment of her visit here, and she is intent on returning again in the future.
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