Jul 15, 2009 6:45 pm US/Eastern
African 9-Year-Old Comes To NYC For Major Surgery
'Project Kids Worldwide' Organization Bankrolled Mantoulaye Mbaye's Trip From Senegal
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Mantoulaye Mbaye's mood has improved considerably since she had a life-saving heart procedure in NYC.
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Even though Dr. Steven Colvin, former Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the NYU Medical Center, has passed away, his legacy lives on in the charitable organization he founded prior to his death.
Colvin's widow, Helane Brachfeld-Colvin, now runs Project Kids Worldwide – the group that recently brought 9-year-old Mantoulaye Mbaye to New York City.
On first glance, Mbaye seems to be a typical, playful and happy young girl. But she came to the US suffering from a potentially-deadly heart condition, and underwent a major corrective procedure last Wednesday.
Mbaye's mother made the trip with her.
"In Senegal we couldn't get help," she said through interpreter Ousmane Ba. "We went all over to all the hospitals there. We wrote letters everywhere to get help, but nobody was able to help us."
Young Mbaye was suffering from leaky mitral valve. The damage was originally caused by a case of rheumatic fever.
Dr. Ralph Mosca, of the NYU Medical Center, explained that Mbaye's heart was working so hard it had swelled to the size of a grown man's heart. He added that failing to correct the condition would have led to major consequences down the road.
"She could then suffer from things like bleeding from her lungs and eventually could have an arrhythmia or a very abnormal heart rate, which might lead to her demise," Mosca said.
Mosca performed open heart surgery on Mbaye last Wednesday and successfully repaired the valve. The procedure, as well as any other care the girl may need, will be covered by Project Kids Worldwide.
"We pay for their flight, their room, board, their surgery, all the medical costs for the surgery and to get them well again," Brachfeld-Colvin said.
Mbaye's repaired valve will never operate perfectly, but the surgery greatly-improved its condition.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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