Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) celebrated a tremendous life-saving milestone at the new Ida Cabakoff International Pediatric Cardiac Center for Save a Child's Heart in Israel. The hospital’s first surgical operation took place in a new operating room that features Israel’s most state-of-the-art medical technology. The new hospital has special anti-infectious industrial walls, integrated screens and monitoring technologies that will enable SACH to treat more children and save more lives.   

“It was amazing to realize that finally, after so much planning and simulation studies, we were really operating on a real child in the new hospital. It felt that we really made a big jump to the major league.” - Dr. Hagi Dekel 

We’d like to especially thank Dana Azrieli and the Azrieli Foundation, Morris Kahn, Sylvan Adams, Legacy Heritage Fund and our friends and supporters from around the world, from the US, Canada, Europe, the UK and Australia for making this dream a reality.

The adorable child treated and saved on this monumental occasion was two-year-old Beauden from Kenya. He was the first child to receive life-saving open heart surgery in the new hospital operating room, performed by Dr. Lior Sasson and Dr. Hagi Dekel. Beauden is one of nine children who are currently in Israel from Kenya. Referred to SACH by Dr. Osano who trained as a cardiologist with the medical team in Israel.  

Beauden or “Baba” as his family calls him, was diagnosed at the age of two months with two heart defects. A nurse herself, Beauden’s mother was very worried that he did not have access to the care he needed in Kenya. Beauden is a smiling and vibrant child who will now go on to live a healthy and happy life because of his life-saving open heart surgery. 

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 “I am relieved we are here because his condition and situation was pretty bad. Being a nurse back at home, I know how bad it is and in Kenya we just don’t have the ability to help him and treat him. He couldn’t even play normally like other kids back at home and I know after the surgery he will feel better and go back to running around on the street with all the other kids in the neighborhood.”- Caroline, Beauden’s mother  

Currently, Save a Child’s Heart has 33 children in Israel from Ethiopia, PA/Gaza, Kenya Zanzibar , Zambia, and Ghana – with more children arriving this week. “It”s great to have a full children’s home, while also hosting a big Palestinian Clinic this week,” noted Simon Fisher, Executive Director.  “The new facilities are helping support the growth of the organization and its impact. As we continue to grow, we need increased support to fund these projects. Please support our life-saving work today.”

Donate now and support more life-saving treatments for children like Beauden

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