Oct 2, 2008 8:30 pm US/Eastern
There's No Denying The Power Of 'Gift Of Life'
Group That Arranges Life-Saving Surgeries Welcomes Back First Recipient, Prepares For The 10,000th
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Grace Agwaru was the first recipient of a "Gift of Life" surgery 33 years ago.
CBS
On Thursday a little a boy from Uganda arrived at Kennedy Airport for life-saving open heart surgery, through the program "Gift of Life."
He is the 10,000th child to be saved. It all started with a little girl who made the same flight 33 years ago.
More than 30 years ago, a little girl from Uganda received the first life-saving heart surgery from the program "Gift of Life." On Thursday she returned to New York with an amazing story and a 12-year-old boy who needs help.
Grace Agwaru was 5 years old, when she arrived in New York with her father in 1975 for the first surgery. On Thursday, the now-38-year-old arrived at Kennedy with Jonathan Olunga, who needs surgery to fix the hole in his heart.
He was shocked to learn he'd been chosen for the program.
"I couldn't believe it," Olunga said. "I thought they were just joking."
Agwaru is now an agricultural economist. She said more than 300 children are on the waiting list in Uganda for life-saving surgery and thousands more can't even make it to the hospital.
"They're not even able to come and do the check-up to know that they have the heart condition, so they die even without coming to the main hospital," Agwaru said.
Robbie Donno started "Gift of Life" 33 years ago with the support of his rotary club. They thought it was a one-shot deal to save Agwaru.
"Then there was a second child, and then there was a third child," Donno said. "Ten thousand children later we're still going after the next one."
The group saves about 1,000 children a year, from more than 60 countries. And every time Agwaru comes to New York the memories come flooding back.
"It's like welcoming home your daughter and when she leaves you feel kind of sick in your heart and in your stomach because you miss them so much," Donno said.
Olunga will undergo surgery next week. After about four weeks of recovery, he'll return to Uganda. He told CBS 2 HD when he grows up, he plans to become a doctor."
Later Thursday he was to head to Manhasset with the Mazzei family who will take care of him and his mother. He left with 4-year-old Marco Mazzei, a new little friend who'll be with him as he gets a new chance at life.
The surgery will be performed pro-bono at the Children's Montefiore Hospital.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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