TOUS SOLIDAIRES: The referents in our regional branches
At Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque we operate on children at 9 surgical centers across France (Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Angers, Nantes and Tours). In each of these cities, the regional referents are all volunteers and are essential links in our chain of solidarity. Sourrazeh became the Tours referent in 2011, a volunteer position to which she devotes a great deal of time and energy with a single goal in mind: to help children with heart surgery in her region.
Sourrazeh first met the association in the early 2000s, when she saw a television report on a foster family. She remembers Pr Francine Leca's words, which touched her deeply. So much so, that she immediately phoned the Association to find out more. Unfortunately, at that time there was no branch in Tours. A few years later, on New Year's Eve 2008, Sourrazeh had an unexpected encounter.
"A lady kindly asked me to let a child pass in front of me so he could see the fireworks. She was telling him about this tradition like a tourist guide. She then looked at me to explain that this child called Christ had just undergone open-heart surgery. I immediately understood that she was a foster family.
A branch had just opened in Tours and Sourrazeh offered to become a foster family in her turn. She generously took in 3 children in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Three meaningful experiences that have enabled her to fulfill her role as a mentor to perfection.

" My main mission is to act as a link between the medical team at Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque in Paris, the host families in Tours and the medical staff at Clocheville hospital.
I am also in charge of :
- Find foster families and entrust the children to them.
- Answering foster families' questions. I help them familiarize themselves with fostering a child, especially when it's their first experience, by accompanying them to the hospital, for example.
- Visit children in hospital and pass on medical advice to Pr Francine Leca's team in Paris after each child's medical check-up.
- The rest of the time, I represent the Association when speaking at schools, events or in front of the media.
- Bring families together, at least twice a year, around a shared meal to discuss our experiences, exchange ideas and create links within this large family Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque.
- Find sponsors and events to raise money for the children's operation

Fortunately, I'm not alone in managing all this! I'm helped by Martine, who fills in for me when I'm away, and Nathalie, who became our regional branch's events coordinator 3 years ago. The three of us work together to form a great team.
Am I happy to contribute to the healing of these children? YES! All families are happy to help save a child's life. For me, there was a life before Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, and there's a more meaningful life afterwards. Many thanks to Professor Leca.
Sourrazeh Jollet, Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque in the Tours branch
