Heart to Heart Global Cardiac Care

Today is International Volunteer Day – and we have the most incredible volunteers in the world to celebrate! Heart to Heart volunteers make our life-saving work possible. They draw from a wide breadth of experience to share their expertise and provide high level teaching and training to our partners abroad, as well as support the advancement of our mission every day by serving on Heart to Heart’s Board of Directors and a myriad of committees dedicated to thoughtfully realizing our vision. Equally important, they bring energy, compassion, and deep commitment to make the world a better place. In the words of recent medical volunteer, Dr. Ramzy: “The experience was very rewarding. The partnership that we got to build over the past two and a half years was one of the most rewarding on a personal level and professionally. To be part of the team to help develop minimally invasive surgery in Costa Rica is one of the highest highlights of my career. I learned so much from this experience, likely more than I gave back. To see the amazing team of surgeons and allied health professionals quickly adopt and excel in minimally invasive surgery in order to help their community is the truest sense of the purpose of medicine. This mission to me was more than performing surgeries to help four patients. It was to help develop a program which will lead to many thousands of patients being helped.” - Danny Ramzy, MD Costa Rica Adult Mission, November 2024 This International Volunteer Day, join us in celebrating all of the wonderful volunteers in our community – your generosity of spirit saves lives now and for generations to come. #volunteer #cardiaccare #philanthropy #givingback #gratitude

Heart to Heart trains medical professionals to care for patients in their own communities. Our volunteers work hand-in-hand with our partner site colleagues to ensure that local teams can learn the best practices and clinical skills needed to provide life-saving care to their patients. This approach has resulted in six self-sustaining pediatric cardiac programs, thousands of cardiac specialists trained, and more than 35,000 children’s lives saved! Your donation today enables our volunteers to train thousands of cardiac specialists, who in turn can save the lives of thousands of heart patients, now and for generations to come. #givingtuesday2024 #givingtuesday #hearttoheart #global #cardiaccare #heartcare #CHD #congenitalheartdisease #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

More than 500 children are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) each year in Costa Rica, yet the country has only one pediatric hospital where children can access life-saving cardiac care. This, combined with a critical shortage of pediatric cardiac specialists, places enormous pressure on Costa Rican nurses and physicians – and has resulted in a backlog of patients waiting for the care they need. Heart to Heart medical volunteers train teams of specialists in areas of need to treat patients locally. In doing so, we help develop self-sustaining regional cardiac centers, expanding access to life-saving care for thousands of families. Your monthly donations directly help children around the world gain access to life-saving cardiac care – please consider making a gift today! #givingtuesday2024 #givingtuesday #hearttoheart #global #cardiaccare #heartcare #CHD #congenitalheartdisease #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

Each year 1.3 million children are born with a congenital heart defect (CHD), the most common birth defect worldwide. More than 300,000 of them will require life-saving treatment in their first year of life. Yet more than 85% of children around the world lack access to the heart care they need. Heart to Heart medical volunteers train specialists in areas of need to care for patients in their home countries. By training teams to care for children locally, our volunteers help develop self-sustaining regional programs that expand access to thousands of families. Every $258 donated saves the life of a child in need – make your gift today. #givingtuesday2024 #givingtuesday #hearttoheart #global #cardiaccare #heartcare #CHD #congenitalheartdisease #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

Today, our team has successfully concluded our eighth cardiac training mission in Costa Rica! We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with all three public cardiac centers serving adult heart patients across the country. Our volunteers provided teaching and hands-on training with a focus on aortic and mitral valve repairs and replacements via minithoracotomy. In addition, they jointly performed four minimally invasive valve surgeries alongside teams at Hospital Mexico, Hospital San Juan de Dios, and Hospital Calderon Guardia. Huge thanks to our partners, supporters, and medical volunteers for making this life-saving work possible!    #cardiaccare #costarica #hnn #hsjd #hospitalmexico #calderonguardia #cirugiacardiaca #ccss #minimallyinvasive #hearttoheart #global #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

This Sunday is World Heart Day, a time when people across the globe mobilize to raise awareness to prevent the number one killer around the world, resulting in more than 20.5 million deaths per year – cardiovascular disease (CVD). Fortunately, this disease is treatable. In fact, 80% of premature deaths from CVD are preventable! The majority of CVD-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, including countries in Central America, like Costa Rica. But Heart to Heart is working to change this. During a recent Heart to Heart training mission, a joint team of Heart to Heart and Costa Rican specialists performed open heart surgery on three-year-old Lhaya. When Lhaya was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at two years old, her family felt “an emotional blow.” Nonetheless, they came together to support one another and share their strength. This World Heart Day, remember that your support extends hope and care to families like Lhaya’s. Share with us in the comments how you plan to celebrate this special day! #worldheartday #díamundialdelcorazón #corazonesvalientes #CHD #congenitalheartdisease #cardiopatiascongenitas #hearttoheart #global #cardiaccare #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

We are delighted to introduce Laila E. Dreidame as the new executive director of Heart to Heart Global Cardiac Care. The words “global” and “care” in our full name are also apt descriptors of Laila’s volunteer service and her professional experience. She has a personal connection to the “cardiac” focus of our work as well. We invite you to learn more about Laila's experience, values, and energy here: https://lnkd.in/gEdcNtKq ❤️ #executivedirector #hearttoheart #CHD #global #cardiaccare #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

Join us this World Humanitarian Day as we celebrate the generosity of spirit of all those who share their time and expertise and donate much-needed financial resources to help make the world a better place for all. As Heart to Heart marks our 35th anniversary, we would like to underscore the profound impact made by our dedicated medical volunteers. To date, Heart to Heart-trained specialists have saved the lives of more than 35,000 children! Our newest blog post highlights the latest contribution of two of Heart to Heart’s longest-serving humanitarians. Thank you for your commitment to humanitarianism and your investment in our mission. Together we are saving lives and creating positive change for families around the world. Click here to learn more about their work last month at our partner site in San Jose, Costa Rica: https://lnkd.in/gSaZj8W4 #CHD #cardiopatiascongenitas #worldhumanitarianday #hearttoheart #global #cardiaccare #corazonesvalientes #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

Happy Father’s Day! Today we express our deepest appreciation for all of the dedicated fathers who take care of their children and families—especially for those fathers of children with congenital heart disease. Your love and strength provide comfort in the most difficult of times. Thank you for all that you do for your children—your care and effort mean the world. #FathersDay #DíadelPadre #CHD #congenitalheartdisease #cardiopatiascongenitas #felizdiadelpadre #hearttoheart #global #cardiaccare #hearttoheartglobalcardiaccare

Join us in celebrating the love, care, dedication, patience, and fearlessness of mothers around the world, and in particular, the mothers of children born with heart defects. This Mother’s Day, we recognize the countless hours spent in hospital waiting rooms, intensive care units, and doctor’s appointments, advocating for your children. Your endless demonstration of grace, resilience, and perseverance in the face of tremendous adversity and fear are an example for all. Your time, effort, and energy do not go unnoticed: we express our deepest admiration for you. To Moms! #HappyMothersDay #MothersDay2024 #CHD #HeartToHeart