Hole-in-the-heart children handed a new lease of life

Two hole-in-the-heart children have been given a new lease of life after undergoing surgery in the United States.

The success of the operations on 16-month-old Wong Kei-yan and Wong Tse-hin, two, has prompted the Rotary Club, which paid for the operations, to extend the scheme to the mainland.

Both children were born with the heart condition, which made it impossible for them to exercise and left them pale, tired and lethargic most of the time. Without surgery they would not have survived into adulthood.

Tse-hin's mother, Wong Lee Shui-fan, said: 'We found out as soon as he was born that there was something wrong with his heart and we were devastated. His lips would turn blue and he would get very pale and tired with just a little bit of exercise.

'If he hadn't undergone surgery, he would have died,' Mrs Wong said, fighting back tears. 'His heart would not be able to support him as an adult. I am really very grateful to them for helping save my child's life.'

The Rotary scheme originated in the US in 1974. Since then more than 2,000 young heart disease patients in financial need have been successfully sponsored by the club.

The Rotary Club of Hong Kong Bayview brought the scheme to the SAR. It aims to provide an alternative for people in financial need and who cannot afford to wait two to three years for open heart surgery, the average waiting time in Hong Kong for non-emergency cases.

The club has already found four patients on the mainland, where open-heart surgery is hard to come by and prohibitively expensive for most.

The Rotary Club covers all surgery-related expenses and travel and basic living expenses, including food and lodging for the parents of the patient.

Cathay Pacific Airlines provided free air tickets for the patients and a guardian.

'It's not just about the financial support either,' Rotary Club member Dr Lawrence Lam Chi-kit said. 'We prepare them for everything surrounding the surgery and the arrangements to get there.'

Patients go through a pre-surgery examination by doctors at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Once the patient is approved, the scheme makes visa and travel arrangements for the patient and a guardian.

'We drop them off at the airport here and the Rotarians in New York pick them up at the airport there and take them to their hotel rooms or host families,' Dr Lam said. 'With the help of local doctors, we help prepare the children and their families for every aspect of the surgery and the trip. For example, often small children have a fear of flying. We help them prepare for that.'

Logistical arrangements turned out to be more complicated than expected, Dr Lam said. Kei-yan's mother got pregnant and, because of US immigration regulations, could not accompany her daughter. Kei-yan's father lives on the mainland and, even with the Rotary Club's help, obtained his visa just a few days before the scheduled operation.

'But her father did not speak any English and could not use any of the appliances in the kitchen of the place where he was staying,' Dr Lam said. 'He called me up and we asked a New York Rotarian to help him adjust to life there.'

Despite the logistical difficulties, the club has already selected four young patients from Xian province.

'Hospitals there charge much more for the operation than any of these families can afford,' Dr Lam said. 'One of the patients has already waited eight years for the operation.'

The Rotary Club would cover the costs of pre-surgery examinations on the mainland with the first candidate probably going at the end of the year, Dr Lam said.