Who are they?
4,500 hearts repairedand a lot of smiles!
Aïda, 2 and a half years old, Guinea
Demba, age 6, Mauritania
Samuel Christian, 20 months, Cameroon
Marie-Aurélie, 2 years old, Benin
Oumou, 12, Guinea
Visit key figures
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1 child
sur 100 naît avec une malformation cardiaque
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+ de 4 500
enfants pris en charge depuis 1996
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70
country of origin
What is congenital heart disease?
Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque mainly cares for children with congenital heart disease, i.e. acquired at birth. The surgeries performed are often complex, but involve an extraordinary organ with a simple function: the heart.
Congenital does not mean hereditary. It is not (or very rarely) a transmission, but a "defect" that occurred during pregnancy. Yet it is quite common, accounting for around 0.8% of births. Malformations can be associated with one or more anomalies, and the only solution is to operate on them.
Heart disease explained by Prof. LecaTake in charge a child with a heart condition
We receive new requests every day, often from foreign doctors who detect heart disease in a patient.
Chaque dossier médical est étudié par un staff de médecins qui détermine la prise en charge idéale pour l’enfant. Passeport, VISA, billets d’avion, place opératoire… Notre équipe s’active ensuite pour organiser sa venue.
L’enfant voyage avec un convoyeur d’Aviation Sans Frontières, puis il est accueilli par une famille d’accueil qui va prendre soin de lui, de son arrivée à son départ, en passant par son opération et sa convalescence.
Once healthy, the child is ready to make the return journey and be reunited with his or her family. We'll be keeping in touch with him for the rest of his life!
