12 children with congenital heart conditions operated on by French cardiac surgeons with backing of Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva’s charity

Twelve children with congenital heart conditions have been operated on by leading French cardiac surgeons in Tashkent from 2–8 October, as part of the charity mission undertaken by Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva’s You Are Not Alone Foundation and the French association La Chaîne de l’Espoir (Chain of Hope). One of the main priorities of the You Are Not Alone Foundation is to provide assistance for the treatment of children from Uzbekistan’s orphanages and economically disadvantaged families. A recent survey held by the charity in orphanages throughout Uzbekistan identified 15 children with various forms of congenital heart condition. The visiting French doctors examined these children and advised on their further treatment. As part of the mission, more than 80 children from low-income families and orphanages were examined and 12 children with the most complex forms of heart disease were operated on, including a three-day-old baby. The children are now receiving post-operative treatment.

Over the past four years, with the backing of the You Are Not Alone Foundation, French cardiac surgeons have carried out over 120 operations on children with complex congenital heart conditions, all of whom come from Uzbekistan’s low-income families and orphanages. With the Foundation’s support, 21 of these operations were carried out in France.