Manas Airmen give from their hearts to fix 'broken' ones

Published Aug. 20, 2008
By Maj. Damien Pickart
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

MANAS AIR BASE, KYRGYZ REPUBLIC -- A handful of Airmen deployed here recently demonstrated the gift of compassion through a donation that will help mend the hearts of Kyrgyz children in need of life saving operations.

In response to a challenge from the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing vice commander, Col. Robert Athan, to match his $1,000 pledge, roughly two dozen Airmen in various wing staff agencies presented a check totaling $4,500 to a senior cardiac surgeon at the Institution of Cardiac Surgery and Organ Transplantation in the Kyrgyz Republic Capital of Bishkek, Aug. 18. The donation was the largest single monetary contribution given by the base to the institution, also known as the "Heart Hospital."

"We are very happy and grateful to receive this wonderful donation and are so happy for all the American servicemen have done for us," said Dr. Shabyraliev Esenbekovich, chief cardiac surgeon at the institution, upon receiving the donation. "On behalf of the people of Kyrgyzstan and the patients that will benefit from this donation, thank you."

The institution performs life saving procedures to correct congenital heart defects and other cardiac problems. The heart ward at the institution sees about 9,000 patients annually, but is only able to fully support about 800 - including 300 children - due to a lack of funding.

According to Manas Air Base Outreach Society members familiar with the institution and the staff, Dr. Esenbekovich has performed hundreds of surgeries over the past 25 years free of charge, reducing the expense of most procedures to only $560 for the filter needed for the Oxygenator machine. The machine acts as the heart and lungs during the operation and keeps the patient alive.

Manas servicemembers' donations have covered more than 100 heart surgeries over the past few years. Without the generous donations from Manas AB servicemembers, Dr. Esenbekovich noted that most patients' families would be unable to afford the Oxygenator and the follow-up care and medication necessary to make the operation a complete success.

Along with the wing staff agency donation, MABOS members pledged another $2,500 donation to cover the logistical costs of bringing several cardiac surgeons from Moscow to perform ten complicated surgeries in September. The $4,500 donation will cover the costs for eight of the ten Oxygenator machines.

"I was stunned by the generosity of these young Airmen," said Colonel Athan. "I never expected them to give so much. Their generosity is the reason these Kyrgyz children will grow up and live long, healthy lives. I am so touched by their compassion and I know Dr. Esenbekovich was as moved as I was by this gift."

In late September, after most of the Airmen who contributed to this donation leave the Kyrgyz Republic and return to their lives and homes in the United States, 10 children will undergo life saving surgeries and a gift that came from the heart will keep on giving with each beat of a Kyrgyz child's mended heart.