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Ugandan girl’s Oklahoma City heart surgery called success

 
BY SUSAN SIMPSON    Comment on this article Leave a comment
Published: September 16, 2009
Modified: September 30, 2009 at 11:32 am

Surgeons on Tuesday repaired the heart valve of a Ugandan girl who came to Oklahoma City for lifesaving surgery.

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Fiona Akao, 13, had the surgery at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center. Heart surgeon Dr. Marco Paliotta said the procedure went well and did not require a heart valve replacement. Fiona now needs time to recover from the procedure.

Fiona and her mother arrived in Oklahoma City last week from their poor rural village in Uganda.

Several Oklahomans worked to raise money for their journey and the treatment. Also, Paliotta did not charge for his services.

The family is very poor, and Fiona would have died without the surgery. Roman Catholic priest Frederick Ochen sought help for her from Dr. Dominic Pedulla, an Oklahoma City cardiologist, and businessman Ed Bolka. Ochen met the men when he was a visiting hospital chaplain here several years ago.

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Related Topics: Culture and Lifestyle, Religion, Christianity, Medical Treatments and Procedures, Surgery, Roman Catholicism, Cardiovascular Medicine



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