Children’s Hospital Around The World

Fifteen-year old Escarleth Betancourt-Gutierrez is recovering well from 10 hours of surgery to straighten and stabilize her severely twisted and bent spine. The young girl is here with her mother, Rosario, from Honduras, brought here by missionary-turned-friend, James Netterville, M.D.

The following is an email message sent on Monday, May 5, from Escarleth’s friend and host Dr. Netterville, to Kevin Churchwell, M.D., the CEO of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, to thank several of the volunteers involved in her care. 

Kevin, 

I want to thank you, and the Children’s Hospital for the remarkable gift that has been bestowed on my little friend Escarleth.  Tomorrow at 10:00 AM she presents for her postoperative appointment to Dr. Greg Mencio.  Through the generosity of Children’s Hospital, and Dr.  Mencio, this beautiful, indigent girl from Honduras has undergone the life-changing repair of her scoliosis.  I wish you could meet her before she returns to Honduras.  As I closely observed her throughout this remarkable surgical experience, I witnessed both inner, and outer beauty unveiled, similar to watching a beautiful rose unfurl for spring.  Her outlook toward her future has blossomed as she now sees a normal beautiful young lady in the mirror, instead of a crippled bent spine that needed to be hidden under heavy clothing from public view.   Her trip from the inner city of Tegucigalpa to Nashville has been a miraculous blessing for so many of us who have been able to share this experience with Escarleth, and her mother Rosario.

This miracle,  the gift of “normal life,” would not be possible without the wonderful attitude, and help of so many of your staff who deeply care about the welfare of others.  I want to personally thank Amy Casseri and her entire staff for all they do to organize, and administrate this difficult program.  Susan Kohari stands out as a great ambassador for Children’s Hospital and all of us at Vanderbilt.  Her personal compassion for this little girl, that she had never met, shown through as she labored many hours to help me, and channel our application through the necessary approval process.   It has been a blessing for me to get to know her, and work with her. 

I hope you realize what a remarkable Surgeon, and gentleman that you have in Dr. Mencio.  Eighteen months ago I walked into his operating room and loaded on the view box the poor quality films from Honduras of her severely abnormal spine.  The positive, generous spirit that he displayed that day, as he warmly volunteered to help her, has continued on throughout this entire process.  I observed his meticulous surgical skill in the operating room, and witnessed why he is revered by the young house-staff who come here to work with him.  His kindness to Escarleth has been father-like throughout the care he provided for her. All of his staff in the Pediatric Orthopaedic Department have emulated his spirit of compassion to her. 

There are so many other nurses and staff who have made this a remarkable experience for Escarleth and our church family who have shared this with them.  It is impossible to name all of your team who showed compassion, and cared for her in the various units including, preoperative evaluation, surgery, recovery, and then for a week stay on the central ward on the eighth floor.  Although Escarleth and her mother could not understand the spoken words, the love and true compassion was  communicated by the attitudes and caring smiles of the staff throughout her stay on each of these units.   

Finally I want to thank Dr. John Brock and the entire International Benevolent Surgery Committee for their generous selection of Escarleth to come to Vanderbilt.  Her care has elevated Children’s Hospital in the eyes of so many who have followed her story.  I want to thank you again for leading such a remarkable institution.  I am very proud to be a part of Vanderbilt, and to be associated with each of you who have contributed so much to giving this little girl the gift of Life. 

Sincerely,

Jim

James L. Netterville M.D.
Mark C. Smith Professor
Director, Head & Neck Surgery
Dept. of Oto. Head & Neck Surgery
Bill Wilkerson Center
Vanderbilt Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee 37232

Escarleth and her mother at home in Honduras

A friendship between a Vanderbilt doctor and a family he met while on a mission trip to Honduras has changed the life of a beautiful young teenager with a serious spinal condition.Escarleth Betancourt-Gutierrez, 15, had a severe case of scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.

Left untreated, the condition would have caused breathing and heart problems, as well as physical deformity. Medical personnel in their home of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, were unable to help her. But in April, Escarleth and her mother, Rosario, arrived at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt for an operation to straighten the teenager’s spine. Greg Mencio, M.D., director of Pediatric Orthopaedics donated his services. He and his team operated on Escarleth for 10 hours, realigning her spine and adding a steel rod to keep it from curving again. The surgery was spurred by James Netterville, M.D., a physician and professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who met Escarleth and her family years ago while on a mission trip. The Children’s Hospital covered all but $5,000 of Escarleth’s other medical expenses. Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, where Netterville worships, donated money to cover the additional $5,000.To read more about Escarleth’s surgery, click on the image below:

or go to:  http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=59442

To read the original article about Escarleth in the City Paper, click on the image below, then search for issue April 2, 2008.

Or click here and look for the April 2, 2008 issue.

photo credit: Neal Brake Karla Christian, M.D., pediatric heart surgeon at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk with our nation’s leader, and got a bit of rare insight into what it’s like to be in his shoes.Christian was invited by her old mentor, Sen. Bill Frist, to come to the Nashville International Airport on Tuesday morning to meet the president as he arrived for an appearance in Nashville.“It was hard to describe in words,” Christian said of the experience. “They made an exception to their rule to allow my husband and two of my children to attend as well, but I never expected for this to be more than a handshake.” She said it was awe-inspiring to see Air Force One land and to see the president wave when he got off the plane, but it just kept getting better.“After he shook my hand he said, ‘Come on doc,’ and he took my hand and walked with me — and he was so kind,” Christian said. “After he addressed the press, we walked to the car and talked about the war. I told him I appreciated all he had done to take Saddam Hussein out of power. He saved the Kurdish people. I had operated on a Kurdish child a few years ago and so I felt strongly about that.”Christian said they had a brief political conversation that she would prefer remain personal, except to say that he didn’t take her praise of his presidency in stride. She said the experience proved to her he is a humble man who feels the weight of the hardest job in the world. Perhaps the biggest surprise for Christian was that the remarks the president made to the press at the airport were all about her. These are the president’s remarks as listed on the White House press Web site.This is Dr. Christian, Dr. Karla Christian, who really symbolizes the best of America. She and a team of hers have performed surgery on a little Iraqi girl who was discovered by United States Marines. People in Nashville raised the money for the family; they were supported by the Marines there in Iraq, some of the Marines raised money; and they sent this little girl, whose heart was ailing, to America, right here to Nashville. And Karla and her team healed the little girl and she’s back in Iraq.  And the contrast couldn’t be more vivid. We got people in Iraq who murder the innocent to achieve their political objectives — and we’ve got Americans, who heal the broken hearts of little Iraqi girls. Ours is a compassionate nation, that believes in the universality of freedom — and ours is a nation full of loving souls that when they find a stranger in need will lend their God-given talents to help that stranger. And that’s precisely what happened. 

Click on the image above to view a New York Times story about Amenah’s return to Iraq.

Since arriving home in Haditha, Iraq, the attention toward Amenah Al-Bayati’s heartwarming story has intensified even further. The New York Times article (above) included moving video of Maj. Kevin Jarrard as he took part in a celebration to welcome Amenah home to her home town. Maj. Jarrard said as a father, it meant a lot to see Amenah come home healthy and be reunited with her siblings and father. He also said in the last several weeks he had become friends with Amenah’s father, whose extended family includes several brothers who have been arrested and jailed for insurgent activities. Jarrard, who has repeatedly said that Amenah couldn’t help who her father is, says now the two have bonded over family and a desire to help the community in Haditha.

Here are some comments Maj. Jarrard sent in from Iraq:

Flew to International Airport via Ch-53 helicopter and C-130 aircraft with Amina’s father this afternoon.  Blackwater Worldwide escorted mother and Amina from a Royal Jordanian aircraft to the ramp of the C-130.  Following a joyful and tearful reunion, we flew back to Haditha via C-130 and MV-22 Osprey.  There was a large welcome home turnout both at the landing zone and at the family home.  The final leg will be my wife’s return travel to the United States tomorrow.  She and Glenn Susskind escorted mother and Amina as far as Amman, Jordan. They are being taken care of in Amman once again by Blackwater Worldwide.

Words are inadequate to describe my thankfulness to all of you for your roles in this mission.  If you have never previously witnessed a miracle – now you have. Semper Fidelis and God Bless,

Kevin Jarrard
Major, USMCR
LIMA Company, TF 3/23 

Below is an article from Maj. Jarrard’s hometown newspaper. Click here to read the full story.

 The aunt of Marine Maj. Kevin Jarrard — who first befriended Amenah’s family in Haditha and later started the ball rolling on “Operation Amina”– Janet Jarrard, is as close to the action surrounding Amenah’s return trip as anyone here in Nashville. She gave us a little bit of insight today, saying that she first heard Amenah’s return was imminent on Monday night. 

“Kevin’s wife, Kelly, called me and said they were getting ready to go. Kelly had volunteered to go and accompany Amenah and Maha on the trip back,” Jarrard said. When Kelly told me they would leave Wednesday, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, they are going back so fast.’ But Maha was so anxious to get back home.” 

Everyone who came to know Maha and Amenah wanted so much for them to get back home, to be able to truly relax and share this new gift of life with the rest of Amenah’s family. But there was one long last trip to complete. 

“The return trip was so much easier because Amenah is so healthy now,” Jarrard said. In fact, Jarrard suspects this trip might have been toughest for Kelly, who often gets air sick. “She said it was great that she had Amenah to focus on during the trip, because she was distracted from getting airsick,” Jarrard said. 

Kelly and a gentleman named Glenn (whose last name escapes Jarrard right now), a health care worker who accompanied the family from Iraq to Nashville, would just be travel buddies for Amenah and Maha this time around. There was no need for oxygen, no need for regular vital sign checks. This time keeping Amenah entertained for the long flights would be the goal, rather than keeping her quiet to preserve precious oxygen reserves. 

What we know is that at about 1 p.m. central time on Wednesday, March 5, Amenah and Maha went to the Nashville airport for the first leg of a journey that would take her to Amman, Jordan, and ultimately back over the border into Iraq. We know that the same folks involved in getting her here, got her back; namely the U.S. Military and Blackwater Security. We also know that this trip was shortened significantly because there was some form of air travel from Jordan to Haditha worked out, rather than the long trip by bus made from the Iraqi border the first time. 

“The disappointing thing was that Kevin wouldn’t be there when Amenah and Maha got back home. Kevin’s unit had moved and the communications had changed, so he would not be able to see them,” Jarrard said. 

Jarrard summed up in her words what many are feeling about the experience: “This whole journey has been so humbling. The generosity and concern and love Amenah experienced while here were inspiring. There are people who seek out this type of rescue every day as part of their jobs, so to personally be able to be even a small part of an effort to save a life has been a gift. But the best part is now Amenah gets to go home and be a little girl.” Amenah should be home by now. We hope she is being covered in hugs and love by her father, two sisters and brother. We are grateful they were willing to have enough blind trust to let us have her, and love her for a short and very fulfilling time.   

A little more than two weeks after her surgery, Amenah came back for a final check-up at the Children’s Hospital. Most of the local media showed up to see her get the news that she was cleared to return home. Amenah had an echo cardiogram, much like an ultrasound of her chest, to make sure the blood flow in her heart was still running through the right pipes at the right rate—it was. Then Christian checked out the sound of her heart, checked out her scar for any signs of infections or problems—none were found.

Maha, Amenah’s mother, got to hear the words she had waited for… Amenah was fine, and ready to return home with a heart healthy enough to take her through a long and productive life. There was laughing and celebration when Christian determined nothing medical in nature would delay the trip back home, yet all of those in the room also knew that the life Amenah and Maha will return to is a dangerous one. Residents of Haditha, Iraq must live in fear of roadside, or suicide bombs, Iraqi and American troops patrol regularly, the markets are slim and resources scarce. Still, it is home. It is where Amenah’s father, two older sisters and brother wait for Amenah and Maha to return.

World Relief social worker, Deanna Dolan, says she will be sad to see Amenah and Maha leave, but also said that the impact on the perceptions of America in the community in Haditha would be far reaching. “It’s going to spread from  Amenah and Maha to her family and from there… there’s no telling,” she said.

Amenah was discharged from the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Friday, February 15, just four days after a complex open heart procedure. In the words of her surgeon, Karla Christian, “It could not have gone better.” Now she will rest up at the Bergers’ farm in Leiper’s Fork along with her friends from Grace Chapel and World Relief as plans are made to get Amenah and her mother, Maha, back home to Haditha, Iraq.

Amenah continues to do well with her host family in Leiper’s Fork. She is coming back in to the hospital for a checkup today, and is scheduled for her last visit on March 3. If all checks out she will be cleared to head back home.

Now, planning for round two begins for an amazing– if unlikely– combination of family, friends, military personnel and contacts with helpful corporations like Blackwater security. The goal is to get Amenah and Maha back to the Middle East and then safely over the border into Iraq… no small task. As it did when this adventure began, the planning begins with Maj. Kevin Jarrard who is stationed in Iraq with the Marines. He sent this short note a couple of days ago when those who are interested in sending donations to help pay for the trip home asked who would be arranging things.

Please forgive my lack of communication lately. Maha’s family eagerly awaits her return. I will plan the return trip later this week. I will ask Dr. Nadeau to talk to Dr. Christian to set a set a return date based on Amenha’s progress. Based on what we know right now, we are planning on no later than March 15.

There is still some money left in the BB&T Amina Fund and I think that Grace Chapel has been taking donations as well. Once the plan is in place, I will have a more accurate estimate of costs. Trip to Nashville cost $15,000 or so.

We join all the folks there in rejoicing over the good news so far. I owe everyone many planning details to follow in a day or two.

Semper Fidelis,

Major Jarrard

Amenah has become quite a star! Click on the image above to see the latest story that aired on NBC Nightly News on Feb. 14. 

At about 1:00 p.m. today, 2-year-old Amenah Al-Bayati left the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to begin life anew. With a nicely patched-up set of ’pipes’ moving well-oxygenated blood to her little heart, she should be able to grow big and strong in her home in Iraq.The people who surround Amenah and her mother, Maha Mohammed Al-Sumaidaie, worry that the life she must return to is full of the danger that comes with a nation at war, but everyone knows that Iraq is home. Maha cannot wait to return to Amenah’s father, two brothers and sister.  

Amenah’s recovery has been excellent. She has been awake, blowing kisses to the nurses and giving that “princess wave” to all who come by to see her. Maha, Amenah’s mother, is exhausted– emotionally and physically– but is very happy her daughter is now “pink” and has a bright future ahead of her.

The Grace Chapel host family, Pastor Steve and Sara Berger, are anxious to bring Amenah and her mother back to their home in Leiper’s Fork and were happy to hear if her recovery continues at this pace, she may be home this weekend!

We have kept cameras away since surgery day, but will have photos as soon as Amenah feels more like herself. The image below shows what Amenah’s heart anatomy was before her surgery.