By Dr. Robert Hamilton, Coordinator Lighthouse Medical Missions The Lighthouse Medical Mission team to Albania took place during the first weeks of September 2023. Our reason for going to Albania came as a request from a pastor of a small…

Partnership Projects of Children’s Lifeline™ & Smiles International Number of patients screened for review: 50 Number of cases selected for reconstruction on 4.5 day mission surgical days: 17 Total number of cases operated: 17 Surgical reconstructive procedures performed: 59 (reason…

Partnership Projects of Children’s Lifeline™ & Smiles International Number of patients pre-screened via telemedicine for review with treatment plan constructed: 42 Number of cases presenting on-site for new or confirmation screening: 27 Number of cases selected for reconstruction on 2.5…

The 1st Inaugural UGMC PAEDIATRIC CARDIAC COLLABORATIVE PROJECT with HEARTS and MINDS of GHANA/BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Partnership Projects of Children’s Lifeline™ - September 15-22, 2023 PERSONNEL Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson - Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon/Clinical Lead - Boston Children's Hospital; Hearts &…

Partnership Projects of Children’s Lifeline™ & Smiles International Number of patients screened for review: 40 Cases selected for reconstruction on 4.5 day mission surgical days: 19 Number of cases rescheduled due to successful onsite Speech Language Therapy: 2 Number of…

By Dr. Robert Hamilton, Coordinator Lighthouse Medical Missions Our recent Africa mission to both Senegal and Guinea Bissau turned out to be a great success, not only for the patients who were cared for, but also for the amazing workers…

Partnership Projects of Children’s Lifeline™ & Smiles International Number of patients prescreened via new remote answering service: 38 Cases pre-selected for reconstruction on 2.5 day mission surgical days: 16 Number of cases rescheduled due to medical reasons developed: 6 Number…

March 5-17 - Hospital del Nino Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante, Guayaquil, Ecuador Mission Objectives On this occasion, CardioStart’s International mission team made a return visit to the Hospital del Nino Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante in Guayaquil, Ecuador on…

Partnership Projects of Children’s Lifeline™ & Smiles International Number of patients prescreened via new remote answering service: 45 Cases selected for reconstruction on 4.5 day mission surgical days: 22 Number of cases canceled due to transportation conflict from La Paz:…

Partnership Projects of Children’s Lifeline™ & Smiles International Number of patients prescreened via new remote answering service: 210 Number of patients allowed to come for anesthesia clearance: 15 Cases selected for reconstruction on 2.5 day mission surgical days: 9 Number…

Rady Children’s Hospital / UCSDMission: Cambodia 22 July- 3 August, 2022Susan Grossfeld, MPH and Paul Grossfeld, MD At a Glance This was the Grossfeld's and CLI's first collaboration with Chenla Children's Healthcare in CambodiaThe region has a well-established need for…

They had a very successful trip led by Dr. Robert Ross. Seven doctors and one nurse were part of the mission. They were able to teach and mentor the local team and performed 10 open heart operations, 16 catheterizations in…

History of the Penn State University College of Medicine and The Hospital de Ninos Roberto Children’s Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador Dr. John L Myers, MD is Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey,…

Panama and Central American Pediatric Cardiology MissionsSummary as of Jan 2020. History:Children’s Lifeline originally contacted pediatric heart surgeon Ross Ungerleider, at OHSU at that time, about starting pediatric heart surgical missions to Panama (Annie Mendenhall was a specific contact.) Ross…

1)      It is hard to be as excited about diagnostic caths or TEE (trans-esophageal echo) as interventional caths, but when they are the only way to know how to take care of someone, they are obviously critically useful.  One patient…

This year the focus was to provide clinical and bedside training to inpatient cardiac patients, outpatient cardiac patients, lectures to medical students, staff physicians and support staff. In addition, we were able to follow up with eight past surgical patients.…

Overall, another good trip.  We lost a day in the lab with a water main bursting in the street by the hospital.  But we had some “firsts” on the trip in terms of devices used in a couple of situations,…

Surgical Team Make-Up: 1 pediatric surgeon 2 pediatric anesthesiologist 2 pediatric cardiologists 3 pediatric ICU physicians 1 pediatric ICU registered nurse 1 Respiratory Therapist 1 pump perfusionist NEW FACILITY: The new building is beautiful, spacious and well equipped with all…

The Hearts and Minds of Ghana team preformed their 100th open heart surgery on November 14, 2015.  The goal has always been to have a self sustaining Pediatric Cardiac Surgery program in Ghana and they are well on their way.…

CardioStart undertook a mission to the Clinica Corazones Unidos Hospital.  The mission focused entirely on developing and teaching the management of children needing congenital cardiac correction.  The staff worked on a total of 7 children (ages from 2 years -…

The team set up medical clinics in Port Antonio, Jamaica and provided primary medical care to children and adults. In total they saw 678 children. The main complaint and diagnosis's was allergies and asthma, also treated malnutrition, parasites, worms, tropical…

Dr. Robert Hamilton continues his clinical care each year. In 2015 Dr. Hamilton will also go to Nambia to provide more clinical care.

Every year we send children from the Yucatan to the US to receive Cardiac Care.  Thanks to American Airlines Miles for Kids Program.

The Team consists of surgeons, cardiologists, nurses and perfusionists. This was their sixteenth trip to Guayaquil to provide evaluations and treatment for children of Ecuador who are born with heart defects. This year they only sent one team, which was…

In 2014 American Airlines has brought over 10 children from the Yucatan to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines.  Treating children with Tetrology of Fallot (TOF), cardiac catheterization and VSD.

This year's Neonatal Intensive Care Mission to Guayaquil was led by Dr. Fabio Olarte, MD from Frederick Memorial Hospital and Elizabeth Cristofalo, MD, from Johns Hopkins University Hospital. The group consisted of Neonatologists, Respiratory Therapist and NICU nurse Janice Beekman…

Story coming soon

This was the second trip to India.  They received a warm welcome back. Dr. Green scheduled 4 pacemaker implantation's and Drs Feld and Srivatsa had 6 RF ablations. This repeated every day for 5 days. The device donation were increased…

“We are all so extremely grateful for Lifeline’s continued commitment to improve the quality of medical care to the neo-nates and their families here.” After returning from his team’s 12th consecutive mission to Ecuador, Dr. Fabio Olarte, the mission’s lead…

For the second time, Children’s Lifeline partnered with Pediatric Universal Life- Saving Effort (PULSE) a New York based non- profit organization for another mission to Nepal. There are no pediatric critical care specialists in Nepal. Therefore, the course that is…

Pediatric Cardiologist, Michael S. Womack, who has been a Lifeline Mission leader for many years writes that “…we are up to 324 catheterizations on these children in Panama, and over 60 catheterizations for the entire project. These were all mostly…

“Despite torrential rains, this was a busy and eventful trip providing healthcare to 2000 patients in just 5 days… 65% of those were infants, children and newborns,” writes Dr. P. Tatachar who led this successful Mission to Honduras For this…

Dr. Green’s medical team included; Dr. Uma Srivatsa – Electro physiologist, Dr. Greg Feld – Electro physiologist, Dr. G. Victor Pretorius – Cardiac Surgeon, and Dave Robberson – Electro physiologist Technician.  The team was fortunate to receive generous donations of…

Children’s Lifeline believes at its core that, It is not enough just to heal…but to train and enable the host hospitals to continue the life saving work of the missions. Recently, an 8 month old child (S.K.) from Phnom Penh,…

 Cardiologist Michael S. Womack, a longtime Lifeline mission leader received the highest decoration in Panama for someone who is not a head of state.  During the opening of the 2012 Central America and Caribbean Cardiology Congress, the Panama Minister of…

YUCATAN From April through October of this year, the tri-partite network of Lifeline, American Airlines and Mercy Hospital of Des Moines addressed the cardiac needs of 25 children.  The children ranged in age from 19 months to 17 years. Every…

A multinational mission group led by Dr. Womack traveled to Panama in October 2012. The group included two pediatric cardiologists from Nicaragua and Costa Rica and two from Panama. The goal was to establish regional cooperation between the three countries. …

 This year, Children’s Lifeline partnered with CardoStart and Dr. Aubyn Marath for another mission to Peru. The 2012 volunteer medical team included members from four countries and 8 different US states. The team returned to Honorio Delgado Regional Hospital in…

During April of this year, Children’s Lifeline teamed up with Lighthouse Medical Missions for a clinical mission to The Gambia. The team assembled a temporary clinic for mission services. Over the course of five days, Dr. Robert Hamilton and   his…

A team of neonatologists, neonatal nurses and respiratory therapists from Johns Hopkins University, Frederick Memorial Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital participated in the 2012 neonatology mission to Ecuador.  Led by Dr. Fabio Olarte, the physicians visited two hospitals " Hospital…

Dr. Robert Hamilton from Pacific Ocean Pediatrics recently returned from his first mission to Kyrgyzstan after a friend of his, Cornelia Hewitt, told him about two orphanages with children in dire need of medical attention.  The scope of the mission…

 Annually, Children’s Lifeline funds medical missions to Ghana. Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson of Boston Children’s Hospital has led the cardiac mission since 2007. The host hospital is Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital located in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city. The overall mission…

One of Lifeline’s new mission leaders is Dr. Ulrika Green who specializes in Cardiac Electrophysology.  The team will implant pacemakers and perform cardiac ablation procedures in India, in March of 2013.  She will be accompanied by fellow doctors from University…

Just before the team from Boston Children's Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard University, left for Ghana in October of this year, Children's Lifeline received a plea from a child’s father: “Please accept my congratulations for the many lives you have…

By Salah Hassanein When I asked my friend, Marion Ross, if she would be the spokesperson for Children’s Lifeline International, she never hesitated.  You may remember her from stage, screen and TV. Marion began her career taking drama lessons as…

Children’s Lifeline is celebrating 30 years of medical service to children.  In 1982, Nancy Reagan asked the motion picture industry to assist her in the heart surgery of two children she had brought to the United States.  Nancy’s cause inspired…

Imagine something so simple as water...not just water, but life saving liquid! That is what ‘simple’ water is to ten’s of thousands of children in underdeveloped countries.  The water that they currently use is mostly from rivers, streams and lakes. …

Two children having the basis for their relationship - severe heart conditions.  They happen to come to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana.  Both were assessed by the Mission Team from Hearts and Minds - Children’s Hospital Boston and found…

The Pediatric ICU staff building mission in Kathmandu at the Kathmandu Medical College was led, once again, by Dr. Patrick Leblanc and Dr. Loiusdon Pierre. The mission had several purposes. A course in Fundamentals of Pediatric Critical Care Support was…

The team of eight led by Dr. Rob Ross and Dr. Daniel Turner had a head start on evaluating patients this year because of a detailed PowerPoint presentation provided by the CEDIMAT Hospital in Santo Domingo prior to the team’s…

Angkor Hospital for Children, Angkor, Cambodia Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) serves approximately 120,000 children a year. Through its missions, Lifeline’s cardiac team from San Diego has been treating and teaching at AHC since 2007. When the hospital opened in…

The twenty-six member team led by Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson had a challenging time in Ghana; but, despite power and water outages during some of the surgeries, all procedures were successful. Evaluations were performed upon arrival and decisions were made for…

The thirteenth mission from Penn State Children’s Hospital to Guayaquil Ecuador provided evaluations and treatment for children born with heart defects and was led by Dr. John Meyers for the first group and Dr. J. Brian Clark for the second…

In October 2011, Children’s Lifeline partnered again with Lighthouse Medical Missions on a clinical mission to Kabala, Sierra Leon. The city is located in the upper North Eastern corner of the country. This small disadvantaged town continues to suffer from…

In October of 2011, Lifeline’s cranial facial team revisited Angkor Children’s Hospital. Lifeline and the Plasticos Foundation cosponsored the mission. Doctor Larry Nichter, mission leader and his medical team of seven traveled from Orange County, California to Cambodia. Upon arrival…

Lifeline and CardioStart teamed up for their tenth visit to Peru to further develop a heart program. Led by Dr. Aubyn Marath, a team of thirty-three volunteers, representing five countries and nine American states, made a visit to the Honorio…

The four member team of pediatric cardiologists, led by Dr. Seshadri Balaji and Dr. Jack Kron, specializing in ablations for heart arrhythmia in children, visited the Hospital del Nino the public hospital in Panama. The hospital is dedicated to providing…

A team of nine, from Frederick Memorial Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital visited two hospitals in Ecuador; Hospital Gineco-Obstrecico Enrique Sotomayor and Hospital de Nino Roberto Gilbert I. Once again, the mission was lead by Dr. Fabio Olarte. The team,…

The Cambodia Story Dr. Paul Grossfeld and his wife, Susan, were going on vacation to Thailand in 2005. Susan had always wanted to see the temples in Cambodia and wanted to surprise her husband with the side trip. She started…

Children’s Lifeline continued its partnership with Dr. Jeffrey Moses of Smiles International in December of 2010 and went to the Andhra Pradash state of India and the small village of Mori Podu. At the Subamma Christian Hospital they consulted 21…

Dr. John Myers and Dr. Brian Clark of the Penn State Children’s Hospital returned to Guayaquil, Ecuador and the Hospital de Nino’s in November to conduct back to back pediatric cardiology missions. The first week was spent performing evaluations and…

Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson of the Children’s Hospital of Boston and Harvard Medical School led a pediatric cardiac mission to Ghana in October of 2010. He and Dr. Ravi Thiagavajan were able to operate on 19 children in just 6 days.…

In September of 2010 Smiles International and Dr. Jeffrey Moses returned to the Ukraine and the town of Dnepropetrovsk for the mission’s 8th biannual trip. Over 24 under-privileged and orphaned children were consulted and surgical treatment was planned for 12…

In 2011, we have planned with Mercy Medical Center and Dr. Stephen Mooradian along with American Airlines to bring 25 children (5 of the children are featured below) to Des Moines, Iowa to receive life saving cardiac procedures to correct…

Dr. Robert Hamilton of Pacific Ocean Pediatrics and Dr. Kevin White of Surfside Pediatrics, in conjunction with CLI, traveled to 3 West African nations to bring clinical care to some truly underserved regions. In Benin they treated approximately 400 adults…

Dr. Robert Ross and Dr. Daniel Turner returned to the Dominican Republic for their 8th mission. They consulted on 33 cases and performed 11 catheter procedures and operated on 8 patients. As with most of our missions, the emphasis was…

In December, Dr. Paul Grossfeld of Rady’s Children’s Hospital/UCSD led his 4th pediatric cardiac mission to Cambodia. 35 children were evaluated for procedures and of those 26 were scheduled for surgery. This mission has also been a teaching mission and…

Dr. Patrick LeBlanc and Dr. Louisdon Pierre led a mission to Nepal in November where they were able to take valuable and life saving equipment to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. While there they were able to provide intensive training and…

Dr. Marna Geisler of Strategic Partners Among Nations led the first Lifeline mission to Myanmar in November. Their mobile clinic visited 3 provinces and treated 1,773 people, the majority children, in just 5 days. Besides providing primary care to many…

Dr. Jeffrey Moses of Smiles International Foundation and Tri-City Medical Center led missions to Tecate, Mexico in July and November . They identified 58 children for possible surgery and 25 of these children received immediate reconstructive surgery. In all 68…

Dr. John Meyers and Dr. Brian Clark of Hershey Penn State Children’s Hospital led two separate missions to Ecuador in November. These missions consisted of a number of firsts including two consecutive surgical teams, catheter treatment and improved diagnostics. The…

In October, native Ghanhian, Dr. Francis Fynn-Thompson a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School led a team there and operated on 14 patients. Each mission to Ghana has encountered many challenges, including electrical shortages, lack of…

In Tibet another partnership was formed with the South East Asia Prayer Center to dedicate the first Catheterization Lab. This is the first heart related medical facility in all of Tibet. Prior children had to travel to China for surgery.

Dr. Womack of Doernbecker Children’s Hospital at the Oregon Health and Science University and Pediatric Cardiology / Boise Idaho led three separate missions to Panama, one in January, one in March and another in August of 2009. While there he…

In Armenia, Dr. Albert Phillips, professor at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, has continued his missions to help his country of origin, Armenia, where they still recover from the earthquake of 1998. 600 patients were seen, of…

Dr. Heakyung Kim of the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia once again traveled to China in June to explore the possibility of aiding children with cerebral palsy and other similar disabilities. She is using a Botox and phenol treatment to help…

In partnership with Chain of Hope and led by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub a 12th mission was conducted at the Maputo Heart Institute of Mozambique in June 2009. The team performed heart surgery on 21 patients two of whom made…

Plasticos Foundation under the direction of Dr. Larry Nichter and Dr. Robert Burns traveled to Laos in January and operated on 97 patients performing a total of 121 procedures. They primarily treated burn victims and patients who suffered from disfigurement…

The Brooklyn Hospital Center led by Drs. Patrick LeBlanc and Louisdon Pierre, both neonatologists went to Haiti in May 2009. There they conducted 20 hours of bedside rounds in addition to training nurses and residents along with providing workshops and…

Dr. Jeffrey Moses of Smiles International Foundation led a team to the Ukraine in May 2009. He screened over 100 orphans during this visit and 21 were chosen for immediate surgery. 52 procedures were performed on these children over the…

Dr. Robert Hamilton led a mission to Sierra Leone April 2-11, 2009 where he was personally recognized for his team’s work. Dr. Kevin White simultaneously conducted a second mission. There they provided clinical services to over 2,500 children and their…

In Egypt another partnership with Chain of Hope led once again by Sir Magdi Yacoub performed the first open heart surgery at the newly constructed Aswan Heart Center. This was the first open heart surgery in Southern Egypt. They were…

January and February, Chain of Hope and Lifeline made their inaugural visit to Ethiopia. Chain of Hope sent three doctors, Dr. Magdi Yacoub, Dr. Shakeel Qureshi and Dr. Michael Teodori who were able to perform cardiac procedures on 20 children.

The mission to the Dominican Republic in January and February led by Drs. Robert Ross and Daniel Turner of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan performed 7 surgeries and 15 catheterizations. The teams were also able to train doctors and nurses…