NSW: Mother thanks doctors for saving her baby's life

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2006
NSW: Mother thanks doctors for saving her baby's life

By Drew Cratchley

SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - The child is not out of the woods yet but the mother of an East
Timorese baby born with a hole in her heart has tearfully thanked Australian doctors for
saving her daughter's life.

Two-month-old Maria Soares is recovering in the intensive care unit of the Sydney Children's
Hospital at Randwick after a successful five-hour operation yesterday to repair a ventricular
septal defect, or hole in the heart.

Her mother, Lorencia Soares, today issued an emotional thank you to the doctors, nurses
and charity groups that supported her family on their trip to Sydney.

"I would like to thank you for giving my baby, Dulce Maria, the chance for life," she
told reporters in her native language of Tetum.

"The life giving operation of corrective surgery for a hole in her tiny heart would
not be possible in Timor Leste, my country, which is still recovering from years of war,"

she said.

The tiny girl, who weighs just two kilograms, is still heavily sedated and will remain
on life support for several days, doctors say.

"It's fair to say that she is not out of the woods yet," Dr Andrew Numa, the Sydney
Children's Hospital intensivist, told reporters.

"But we would anticipate and look forward to her slowly improving over the next 48 to 72 hours."

Maria will have minor surgery in a few days' time to close her chest cavity, which
remains open to reduce the stress on her heart, before being discharged from intensive
care early next week.

Doctors hope Maria will soon return to breastfeeding and other normal behaviour, but
it will be close to a month before she is healthy enough to return to East Timor with
her family.

Abel Guterres, East Timor's consul-general to Sydney, has expressed his gratitude to
Australia for assisting Maria Soares, who would have died if she remained in her home
country.

"This is a show of friendship between the two ... countries which goes a long way back,"

Mr Guterres told reporters.

"We hope that this friendship and cooperation will continue.

"We hope that in 15 to 20 years Timor Leste can have a hospital like this to take care
of children."

AAP dmc/hn/rj/bwl

KEYWORD: SOARES

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