Dr. Andrew Goldstone Pediatric Open Heart Mission

Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues, 

This upcoming October, I will be returning to Oraifite, Nigeria to lead the second pediatric heart surgery trip with the VOOM Foundation. 

Last year, I attended the first-ever pediatric surgery delegation to Nigeria. We performed 14 successful open-heart surgeries after identifying over 250 kids waiting for surgery. This year, we are hoping to help even more children in need. This October, we will be bringing multiple surgeons and running two operating rooms simultaneously with the goal of helping as many children as we possibly can.

Most importantly, our team will continue to partner with, train, and educate the local cardiac surgery staff at the Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital.

Just ten years ago, heart surgery in Nigeria was a near impossibility; those in need had to have the means to travel out of the country, making life-saving surgery inaccessible to anyone but the most resourced. The VOOM Foundation changed all that by partnering with local hospitals, and providing infrastructure, equipment, and supplies to start an in-country program. VOOM Foundation medical teams travel to Nigeria several times a year with two goals: to teach and to serve a population that otherwise would not receive care. Since last year’s pediatric cardiac surgery trip, VOOM has also committed to creating sustainable pathways for pediatric cardiac surgery in Nigeria.

I am really looking forward to serving in this capacity again. Last year’s trip was a life-changing experience for those of us who participated, and a powerful reminder of why we all entered the field of medicine in the first place: to help others by impacting the health of those in need, but also by working together to teach more surgeons and medical practitioners to do the same.

I am currently raising funds to help VOOM Foundation cover the extra costs of medical supplies, local hospital stays for the children receiving surgery, and travel for our medical team. Fundamentally, our our goal is to help the people we will serve and serve alongside, with hope of building a healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable local medical community. 

With gratitude,

Andrew