Samael

Samael is a sweet 17-month-old baby boy from Goodlands, Mauritius.

Samael is the youngest of five siblings. He has two older sisters and two older brothers who all adore him very much. Samael's, father, Navin, works in construction and his mother, Marie, is a stay at home mom who takes care of all her children. 

After already having four pregnancies, Marie knew she was having a very difficult one with Samael. She's never experienced such a difficult pregnancy before and suspected something was wrong so she went to be seen by a doctor at a local clinic. They performed a typical ultrasound and that's when she was told her child might have a heart defect. This was a difficult moment for Marie but she knew she had to be strong for her son. She was referred to a cardiologist who verified this suspicion. 

Samael was diagnosed with a heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).

Tetralogy of Fallot is a critical congenital heart condition that is classified by a combination of four heart defects that commonly occur together: a hole between the lower chambers of the heart, an obstruction from the heart to the lungs, the aorta (blood vessel) lies over the hole in the lower chambers, and the muscle surrounding the lower right chamber is overly thickened. These defects, which affect the structure of the heart, cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body. 

Back at home, Dr. Ramadani told Samael's mother, Marie, her son was chosen to be the first pediatric patient ever sent from Mauritius to Israel for a heart operation. 

At first, Marie was nervous and scared to hear this but very soon after she realized it is the only hope for her son. Marie told us how much she and her entire family loves Samael. She tells us they do not have much and their life at home is not easy, Samael's father, Navin, works hard every single day of the week to make sure they can pay rent and have enough money to feed their kids. Navin had to stop work and take care of the children until they return from Israel. Marie also tells us they were very excited to come as they've never been on an airplane before and it was a great experience! 

Samael and his mother's arrival to Israel is also significant for Save a Child's Heart as Mauritius is our 65th country reached! 

On October 20, 2022, Samael successfully underwent a life-saving cardiac surgery at The Ida Cabakoff International Pediatric Cardiac Center (ICIPCC) for Save a Child's Heart in Israel.

The SACH team is proud to have given Samael a healthy heart and sent him home to his big family so he can go on with his life to happier and more exciting things!