Mend a Broken Heart
Mend a Broken Heart
Dr. Arlen Fleisher is a leading heart surgeon in Westchester County, New York. Seven years ago he founded a remarkable organization "The Mend a Broken Heart Foundation (MBHF). MBHF is a voluntary organization dedicated to saving the lives of children form around the world who suffer with life-threatening heart problems. Other key players in the organization are William Deluca, President of the Mend a Broken Heart Foundation and senior Vice President of Manhattan Beer, as well as Board members Michael Pisacreta and Al Greco.
Typical of the work they do is the case of Tamara Lewis. On June 29th, 2009, Dr. Fleischer received the following letter from Dr. William A. A. Foster, a physician in Jamaica: “Greetings to you and yours! I would like to share with you the medical history and echo on this medically indigent teen from the parish of St Elizabeth, Jamaica who has been waiting awhile for open heart surgery. Sadly, we recently lost another high school student waiting for heart surgery that was unavailable to her. She was only 15. Your kind intervention sir would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for opening a door for us.”
Dr. Fleisher understood the implications - her condition was progressively worsening and she would not have survived very long without surgery. So Dr. Fleisher and his team swung into action. The MBHF arranged and sponsored for the child to come to the Marie Farreri Children's Hospital of the Westchester Medical Center to have life saving open heart surgery. He also arranged for the donation of the critical heart valve. In the meantime, Tamara’s parish in Jamaica raised the money for the airfare for her and her mother.
On December 7, 2009 Tamara underwent a mitral valve replacement performed by Dr. Suvro Sett(pediatric cardiac surgeon) with Dr. Fleisher as the assistant surgeon. All of the doctors’ services were donated . The operation went extremely well and Tamara was discharged from the hospital on the 4th postoperative day.
Dr. Fleisher saw her in the office 10 days after the operative and she was doing extremely well, already feeling a marked improvement in her energy and shortness of breath. She had an echocardiogram which showed that the valve was working well and the heart was already shrinking - it had been massively dilated because of the malfunctioning valve). She was scheduled to return to her home in Jamaica by the end of December 2009.
It should be pointed out that lifesaving heart surgery is available in this country to all children regardless of their economic backgrounds, whereas in other poorer countries it is not and they most often suffer and die at very early ages.
Sponsoring children from other countries for heart surgery is only a part of what Mend a Broken Heart Foundation does.
MBHF also has established a relationship with the Edward J. Madden Open Hearts Camp. The foundation has been supporting and sending 10 children each summer to the camp, who have had open heart surgery at the medical center. The Foundation also supports families who needed medical equipment and housing. In addition, MBHF underwrites a support group at the medical center for adolescents and young adults coping with issues associated with cardiac disease.
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