Project

The Heart Sounds of Iran

Your child's doctor tells you that there is something wrong: there is a hole in her heart and she needs surgery, but we can't do it; we need to wait for a team to come. Panic. Hope. Anxiety.

In this project, student fellow Farzana Shah, a graduate nursing student at the University of Pennsylvania, gives a glimpse into the humanitarian efforts of the Memphis, Tennessee-based William Novick Cardiac Alliance.

Shah's reporting focuses on a recent collaboration between American and Iranian teams in providing cardiac care to children in Tehran. The features patient stories that would otherwise go unheard by the international community.

These are their words, their experiences and the efforts of medicine to come together for one goal: to keep the tiny hearts of Iran beating strongly.

Healing Hearts in Iran

Congenital heart disease requires an investment of staff and equipment. With 1 out every 40 deaths in children under the age of 1 due to a heart defect, this silent killer deserves attention.