Sovereign Military Hospitaller
Order of St John of Jerusalem of
Rhodes and of Malta

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Successful cardiac surgery on a nine month old Kenyan baby

Successful cardiac surgery on a nine month old Kenyan baby
27/09/2011

We are about to tell you a short story, where commitment and solidarity manage to go beyond geographical boundaries and cross continents to save a human life.

Affected by a serious cardiac malformation Njuki, a few months old Kenyan baby, was taken to the Principality of Monaco for a complex operation. Born in January 2011, he only weighed 4 kilos at eight months, making it impossible to operate on him in Kenya because of a lack of specialized equipment.

The operation was made possible thanks to the commitment and determination of numerous institutions. The Order of Malta’s embassies in Kenya and Monaco who together have coordinated all the logistic aspects; Monaco’s Cardiac Surgery Centre and Professor Pretre, world-renowned surgeon, who with Dr. Bourlon performed the operation; the Order of Malta Monegasque Association who cared for Njuki – accompanied by his mother – during the whole time he was in Monaco.

After three weeks of convalescence, Njuki returned home. A short story with a happy ending.