A two-day old toddler suffering of a rare congenital heart disease was airlifted to Israel for life-saving surgery from a refugee camp in Cyprus.
Israel treated thousands of Syrians injured in the civil war ravaging the country since 2011; yet it is very rare that Syrians arrive to Israel via a third country.
However since Cyprus hospitals don’t have the facility to perform pediatric heart surgery, the toddler – who was born with one pump instead of two – was rushed to the Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv after Israel provided the Cypriots with the appropriate permits.
The baby traveled with his father, who spoke to i24NEWS on condition of anonymity, citing fear for his family’s safety should the fact that his son received treatment in Israel become widely known.
“Even though it was very dangerous trip from Syria to Cyprus by boat, but if my family died, at least I can know that there dead bodies lying in the ocean, if they stayed at Syria, I won’t know what will happen to them,” he told i24NEWS Arabic reporter Sham Adawi.
Asked whether he thought about staying in Israel, the father replied “No, neither in Cypress, I will go back home to Syria, I wish to go home safely with my family.”
“I don’t wanna do anything that’s gonna harm my family safety back home in Syria and Cyprus, such things are very dangerous, I will not take a risk, I don’t want anything that leads to me.”
The toddler is expected to make full recovery, though the doctors said he’ll need two more surgeries as he grows older, and his heart will never be fully healthy.
