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The heart of giving

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ruth Holcomb
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) --  Dr. Samindin Shabyraliey, a senior cardiac surgeon at the Institution of Cardiac Surgery and Organ Transplantation in the Kyrgyz Republic capital of Bishkek, performed two open heart surgeries saving the lives of two children in December.

What made the surgeries possible was direct contributions from deployed servicemembers at Manas Air Base.

Over the last several years, contributions from the base have supported heart operations on 128 children with donations totaling $71,680.

Dr. Shabyraliey performs the operations free of charge, only asking for donations to pay for the oxygenator machine, which acts as the heart and lungs during the procedure to keep the child alive.

Volunteers do not only make monetary contributions to the institute, but they also donate their time to bring smiles to the children who are awaiting and recovering from surgery. One Manas AB Airman knows just what these children's parents are going through.

"Though I am not able to articulate it to the parents, I know how they feel and what they are going through," said Tech. Sgt. Stephan Huff, assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron. "You watch other parents fussing over a scraped knee or cut finger and think back to the surgeries that your child has had to endure. It really puts things in perspective."

Sergeant Huff's daughter, Victoria Huff, was born with tetralogy of fallot, which is a heart condition that narrows the pulmonary artery that makes it difficult to get blood to the lungs.

"Her first surgery was when she was a mere 23 hours old," Sergeant Huff said. "By the age of 16, Victoria will have endured a total of five surgeries to correct the condition."

Dr. Shabyraliey is always glad to see the Americans visiting the hospital.

"If Americans did not donate money to the hospital, a lot of these children would not be alive today," said Dr. Shabyraliey through a translator.

"Just the simple act of playing checkers or card games with the children for a few hours enables them -- even if just for a moment -- to forget why they are at the institute and just be kids again," said Master Sgt. Tommy Cannon, assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Maintenance Group.

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