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Denise Imbry, 20, from Haiti, is expected to make a full recovery, following a humanitarian surgery at Rochester General Hospital today, Thurday, July 7.
She underwent mitral valve surgery, performed by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Ronald Kirshner, this morning and is now recovering, according to a hospital spokesman this afternoon, in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at Rochester General. She is reported in stable
condition. Kirshner is also chief of cardiac services at the hospital
The surgery lasted about three hours.
Rochester General Hospital and its partner, Intervol, a Rochester community-based non-profit organization,collaborated with the Hope-for–Haiti Foundation in a humanitarian effort to provide the life-saving heart surgery for the young woman from Haiti.
She arrived in Rochester Tuesday, July 5, to prepare for the surgery to repair the mitral valve in her heart. Her debilitating condition, caused in part by the rheumatic fever she had as a child, reduces blood flow from her heart, and if left untreated, would dramatically shorten her life span. Her condition was so severe that she was unable to walk.
Gerry Gacioch MD, head of cardiology at Rochester General Hospital, first became aware of the woman’s condition during a visit to Haiti following the devastating earthquake there several years ago.
Dr. Gacioch was moved by her desperate plea for help, knowing that she did not have the resources to fund an operation costing tens of thousands of dollars.
It’s expected that after a full recovery, Imbry will return to Haiti at the end of this month to live a healthy and productive life.
Denise Imbry, 20, from Haiti, is expected to make a full recovery, following a humanitarian surgery at Rochester General Hospital today, Thurday, July 7.
She underwent mitral valve surgery, performed by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Ronald Kirshner, this morning and is now recovering, according to a hospital spokesman this afternoon, in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at Rochester General. She is reported in stable
condition. Kirshner is also chief of cardiac services at the hospital
The surgery lasted about three hours.
Rochester General Hospital and its partner, Intervol, a Rochester community-based non-profit organization,collaborated with the Hope-for–Haiti Foundation in a humanitarian effort to provide the life-saving heart surgery for the young woman from Haiti.
She arrived in Rochester Tuesday, July 5, to prepare for the surgery to repair the mitral valve in her heart. Her debilitating condition, caused in part by the rheumatic fever she had as a child, reduces blood flow from her heart, and if left untreated, would dramatically shorten her life span. Her condition was so severe that she was unable to walk.
Gerry Gacioch MD, head of cardiology at Rochester General Hospital, first became aware of the woman’s condition during a visit to Haiti following the devastating earthquake there several years ago.
Dr. Gacioch was moved by her desperate plea for help, knowing that she did not have the resources to fund an operation costing tens of thousands of dollars.
It’s expected that after a full recovery, Imbry will return to Haiti at the end of this month to live a healthy and productive life.
