Contact: NYU Medical CenterOffice of Public AffairsDeborah Coble (212) 404-3522Pam McDonnell (212) 404-3555
NYU MEDICAL CENTER ANNOUNCES LIFE-SAVING OPEN-HEART SURGERY PERFORMED ON CHILD FROM KOSOVA THROUGH MEMORIAL FUNDS FROM 9/11
Fund Established after 9/11 In Husband's Memory Saves 7-year old Kosovo Child
New York, NY- (April 24, 2002) -- On Thursday, April 18th, NYU Medical Center's Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stephen Colvin, MD, performed life-saving heart surgery on Lirjon Rexhaj, a 7-year old boy from Kosova, with congenital heart disease. Lirjon was born in the Kosova Republic of Yugoslavia during regional battles that engulfed the Balkan states in the 1990s. The family became refugees following the Serbian invasion, compromising his health even further. Following peace settlements, the family returned to Kosova to find their home burned to the ground. Regional hospitals were unequipped to perform the life-saving heart surgery he needed to survive.
The child's surgery was made possible through Project Kids Worldwide, a non-profit organization, co-founded by Dr. Colvin and Dennis Schwesinger, Director of the Cardiac and Vascular Program at NYU Medical Center. Project Kids Worldwide collaborates with international social agencies in medically underserved regions, identifying poor children in need of medical care and bringing them to the United States for life-saving heart surgery or other complex health services.
The child's plight came to the attention of Jacqueline Gavagan who lost her husband, Donald, Jr., a bond trader with Cantor Fitzgerald, on 9/11. Only six months prior to 9/11 Dr. Colvin performed heart surgery on the Gavagan's son, Donald, III, then 2 1/2, to correct a congenital heart defect. Seeking a way to honor her husband's memory and help other children in need of heart surgery, she established the Donald Richard Gavagan Fund with Project Kids Worldwide. "I really want to make a difference," says Jacqueline. "The only way I can do this is to sponsor a child." Through Jacqueline's efforts of raising money, she has helped to save Lirjon's life.
Jacqueline Gavagan, Project Kids Worldwide, and NYU Medical Center will continue to collaborate and provide medical care for children with congenital heart disease from around the world, "one child at a time."
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