BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
Tasneem Al Azza Tasneem Al Azza is a very lucky girl. Right now, Tasneem, who is almost 4, is back home in the West Bank, Israel, playing with an array of toys she was given by Rotary Club members.
Just a few weeks ago, however, the future did not look so bright for Tasneem. She came to the United States from her homeland to have lifesaving heart surgery performed through the Gift of Life Program sponsored by the Rotary Club.
Through the generosity of the doctors and staff at the Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, and Joe and Connie Xerri of Freehold Township, and their friends, Tasneem’s life has been dramatically changed for the better.
The Xerris work together at AG Edwards and Sons, East Brunswick.
The Xerri family hosted Tasneem for the few weeks she was in the United States before her surgery. Joe has been an active member of the Rotary Club of South River-East Brunswick for 12 years. He said Tasneem had a condition that was rare and not commonly found in the United States.
A family member contacted a representative of the Gift of Life Program on behalf of Tasneem, who lives in Yatta, a small village near the West Bank, Xerri said. She could not be treated in her homeland, so the wheels were put into motion to get Tasneem to the United States.
According to Marna Brown, a member of the Rotary Club of South River-East Brunswick, the Gift of Life Program was launched in 1974 when the Manhasset, N.Y., Rotary Club, responded to a plea for help from the Kampala Rotary Club in Uganda and a 5-year-old Ugandan child who was in need of life-saving medical care.
Gift of Life International Inc. was soon formed as a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation, the majority of whose board of directors and members are active Rotarians.
Tasneem was the fourth child to be a part of the program sponsored by the Rotary Club of South River-East Brunswick since the club began to accept the challenge of welcoming these children in 1998.
Tasneem is one of 16 children. She and her mother, Wadha, arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport on Feb. 2 and were greeted by the Xerris. The guests stayed with the Xerris until Tasneem went into the hospital.
Dr. William Hellenbrand performed a balloon valvoplasty to stretch open the restricted blood valve and allow for normal blood flow.
Brown, of the Rotary Club, said children who have a pulmonary stenosis surgical repair will live healthy lives through adulthood.
The procedure Tasneem had performed on her heart appears to have been successful and she is reported to be doing well.
According to Xerri, Marta Mayle, the past president of the Rotary Club of New Brunswick, was instrumental in enlisting hospital administrators and doctors at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to join the Gift of Life Program. Hospital administrators have agreed to accept 10 Gift of Life Program children per year for the next five years.
Tasneem came to New Jersey to have her heart repaired and in the process gave something to the Xerri family and to every Rotary Club member she met – something none of them will soon forget – the gift of love and friendship.
According to Xerri, the Rotary Club raises funds for the Gift of Life Program. The surgery is performed by the doctors, staff and hospital at no cost to the child’s family. A fee of $6,000 is paid by the Rotary Club to cover the cost of medical supplies.
Joe and Connie enjoyed hosting Tasneem and her mother, although it was not easy in the beginning since neither guest spoke any English. An interpreter was provided at certain times.
They spoke fondly of the exciting experience of having the mother and daughter with them in their home.
“Tasneem was more active than we had anticipated,” Connie said.
Tasneem and her mother experienced many new things – such as eating pizza and seeing a snowstorm.
The Xerris said that by the time Tasneem left for home, she could count to 10 in English and had learned to speak the English alphabet. The couple’s two teenage children were a great help with this, and Joe and Connie said their children enjoyed every minute of teaching Tasneem.
Joe said that in addition to providing lifesaving surgery, the Gift of Life Program is also creating goodwill throughout the world.
“The Rotary Club’s motto is ‘Service Above Self.’ Our hope is that we can create enough goodwill through international projects like this to make the world a more peaceful place,” Xerri said.