Stumbling on his words he attempted to share something that was clearly causing him deep distress. When he gained his composure we asked; how did you get our number? From my grandson’s cardiologist, he responded. We quickly learned that his grandson was very sick with a complicated heart problem. After visiting a few cardiologists in a few different cities, the family was in despair over the news that their child’s heart was failing and there was nothing that local doctors could do. He called Love Them All in a desperate attempt to find hope. It was this very conversation in October of 2021 that started him on his journey to find exactly what he was looking for.
Their child’s name is Rezhyar. At only one month old he was in the Raparin Children’s Hospital in Erbil with a very poor prognosis. In desperate need of open heart surgery he was entering heart failure. His oxygen was dropping lower each day and he was having trouble breathing. According to reports there was more than one heart problem which made it more complicated for surgery. The main issue he had is called total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), a birth defect of the heart in which oxygen-rich blood does not return from the lungs to the left atrium. Instead, the oxygen-rich blood returns to the right side of the heart. Children born with TAPVR can’t live long because oxygen-rich blood does not end up being properly distributed throughout their body. Rezhyar’s secondary issue was an atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the heart between the upper chambers (atria). Advanced care not available in his home country was his only option.
We reassured the family that we would do everything within our ability to help. An exam by Dr Aso confirmed that he needed surgery right away, his condition so severe that he would not be able to fly. Travelling to a nearby country by ambulance with a nurse was his best chance. Knowing it was urgent we started working on his visa and passport. Within a few days he was in the ambulance in Sulaymaniyah starting his long journey to a neighbouring country. He would cross the border while being transferred from one ambulance to another until he arrived in the hospital that would save his life.
The amazing doctor and medical staff stopped everything for little Rezhyar. They began with echocardiography tests and CT blood tests to see what was going on. They had to make sure they knew what the best next step was to fix his little heart.
The next day they rushed him to the operating room. After a few hours the surgeon came out and said that everything appeared to be successful. His sweet parents had so much joy in their hearts knowing that the hardest part was behind them. The surgeon did explain to them that they still had a long road ahead of them. The next 48 hours would be very critical for Rezhyar. They needed time to see how his body and heart would respond to the surgery. He did extremely well and just 2 weeks later he was able to fly home and be reunited with his family, so happy to have him home.
A few months later we received another call. This time from Rezyer’s father. Rezyer was not doing well, admitted to the local government hospital and struggling to breath. His oxygen continuing to drop his family was again in distress. Suspecting that his lungs were somehow compromised, we quickly sent him by ambulance to Dr. Aso. We quickly found out that It was COVID infecting his lungs. Thankfully under Dr. Aso’s care, Rezyer recovered and in two week returned home to be with his family. Since then, it has been our pleasure to support baby Rezyer’s follow up care with Dr Aso and provide medication and vitamins to help his immune system stay strong.
Thank you so much for all your Love and support you once again helped us save a precious life.
