14-year-old Oliwia was waiting for a transplant in Warsaw, but her heart was in KlaipÄ—da, Lithuania. They managed to get them there thanks to a special box in which the heart beat and kept warm. Doctors do not hide that it was a race against time, because the journey was not the easiest one.
The medical team left Warsaw with a device for transporting the heart. Without him, their journey would not have been a success. Under normal conditions, doctors would probably fly to Klaipėda for a heart to Lithuania. However, this was not possible, because there are no normal conditions near the Königsberg region now.
– Due to the geopolitical situation, we have limited possibilities for foreign transport, especially by air, because the army will not undertake transport abroad in the current situation of war on our eastern border – explains Krzysztof ZajÄ…c, transplant coordinator of the University Clinical Center in Warsaw.
An ambulance was therefore the only solution. – We jumped in the car around 4 in the morning. We collected a heart there. This heart was nice, just small. It was a little woman, a donor. And a bit of a horror story began – reports Dr. Zygmunt KaliciÅ„ski, a heart surgeon and transplantologist at the Medical University of Warsaw.
The journey from KlaipÄ—da, despite the quite good road on the Polish side, had to take eight hours. However, the retrieved organ endured it well because it worked peacefully during the procedure, was nourished and kept warm.
The Children's Health Center has been performing liver transplants for 25 years. Their activities are a global achievementMarek Nowicki/Fakty TVN
The heart went to 14-year-old Oliwia
After being brought to Warsaw, the heart immediately went to 14-year-old Oliwia. – We know that if it weren't for this transplant, Oliwka simply wouldn't be among us. She wouldn't be alive – admits Agnieszka Molenda, Oliwia's mother.
The team of doctors who contributed to the transplantation of 14-year-old OliwiaUCK WUM
Oliwia lives thanks to the dedication of doctors and the generosity of hundreds of people who have made donations over the last few years so that the Central Clinical Hospital in Warsaw could buy the only device in Poland to support the functioning of a donated heart. Thanks to it, 7 patients have already been saved. Despite this, the National Health Fund does not reimburse disposable kits needed for the operation of this machine.
– Thanks to the foundation's work and charity concerts, we have managed to purchase 7 such sets over the last three years. The one used was the last such set. We will continue to raise funds in this non-public way – says Dr. MichaÅ‚ BuczyÅ„ski, pediatric cardiac surgeon, deputy director for treatment at the University Clinical Center in Warsaw.
Oliwia was born with a heart condition. Her condition deteriorated so much last year that she had to be put on the transplant waiting list. She spent the last months before the surgery in the hospital, connected to an artificial chamber on wheels.
– Thank you to everyone for saving my life, for the transplant, and for this journey with the heart – summed up the 14-year-old at a special conference.
Main photo source: Fakty TVN