The International Children's Heart Foundation (ICHF) made its first trip to Lima, Peru in July of 1996. We have now operated on 318 children in Peru. Additionally, we have provided thousand of dollars of donated supplies and equipment over the years. We have educated surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, cardiologists, ICU and operating room nurses. At one of the hospitals we visited, the medical staff has become so efficient that they are now able to volunteer their time on our humanitarian missions.

Our goal is to continue our missions to Peru until the Peruvian physicians become educated and experienced in the treatment of children with congenital heart defects so that they can function independently and no longer require our services.

The Rotary Gift of Life Foundation and the ICHF teamed up toprovide cardiac operations to 13 children and cardiac catheterizations to 12 children in Lima, Peru January 4-15, 2004. With a $30,000 grant from The Rotary District 7470 Gift of Life Foundation, the ICHF assembled an 8-member team of volunteer doctors, nurses and technicians who traveled to Lima. This was the 16th time an ICHF medical team had been to Lima and the 92nd ICHF sponsored trip.

The team, led by Dr. William M. Novick, consisted of one pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, one anesthesiologist, one scrub nurse, one perfusionist, three ICU nurses and one cardiologist. Our team worked side-by-side with the local medical staff at the Instituto de Salud del Nino.

When the team left Lima on Thursday, January 15, 13 children had received operations and 12 children had received cardiac catheterizations that would not have been possible without the support of the Rotary Gift of Life Foundation. The parents of the children that benefited from these procedures were extremely happy and appreciative of the "gift of life" their children had received.

The International Children's Heart Foundation extends its sincere thanks to the Rotary District 7470 Gift of Life Foundation for making this trip possible and for helping provide operative procedures and cardiac catheterizations for these children.