America’s Voices in Israel brought medical and social media sensation Doctor Mike, to meet children from across the world with heart conditions, being treated in Israel by Save a Child’s Heart organization.

On the first full day of his America’s Voices in Israel visit, US physician and social media sensation Doctor Mike, paid a visit to the Save a Child’s Heart center at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, just south of Tel Aviv.

Save a Child’s Heart is an award-winning non-profit organization with the mission of improving the quality of pediatric cardiac care for children in developing countries, regardless of the child’s religion, gender or nationality. The Israel based NGO has successfully treated children from 59 countries including more than 2,500 Palestinian patients.

During his visit, Doctor Mike was introduced Save a Child’s Heart 5,000th patient: Fifteen-month-old Fatma, who was brought to Israel from her native Tanzania (Zanzibar) to be treated for a congenital heart defect. She was accompanied by her mother Balkis, who herself suffered the same health challenges as a child, and was also brought to Israel by Save a Child’s Heart for lifesaving treatment.

Balkis emotionally told Doctor Mike about her experience, and about Fatma’s progress and treatment.

“I already owe my life to the doctors here”, she told him, “now that they have saved my baby, I owe them my happiness as well. We are going back to Zanzibar soon, but a piece of our hearts will always stay in Israel.”

Doctor Mike said of his visit, “With all the turmoil in the Middle East and all over the world, it’s easy to be heartbroken, it’s a lot harder to mend a heart – and that’s what these guys are doing here every day. It’s inspiring how they overcome politics and geography to save children’s lives. The doctors, and all the staff here, are heroes, they really are.”

Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, commonly known as ‘Doctor Mike’, is a US physician, media personality, writer, and philanthropist. With 250 million views online, he works to educate on the importance of health literacy and battles misinformation with an entertaining and common-sense approach.

During his visit arranged by America’s Voices in Israel, Doctor Mike will meet leaders in Israel’s booming medical technology industries, visit research projects, also have the opportunity to tour some of the historic sites around the country, and explore Israeli cuisine and culture.

America’s Voices in Israel is a non-profit organization with a mission to foster greater understanding of Israel in the United States, by reaching out to high-profile personalities and opinion leaders.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/photo credit: Yossi Zeliger)