Doctors were able to save the life of a 14 year old girl from Angola after they took out from her chest a 14 cm tumor that pressed her heart and threatened her life. The tumor weighs half a kilo and it pushed her heart to the side, under her arm. Only a few similar cases are known in the whole world.
Elisa Manuel Antonio was first diagnosed during the Save a Child's Heart (SACH) medical mission In Angola last October. Senior cardiologist Dr. Alona Raucher, who saw such a huge tumor for the first time in her career, examined Elisa. "I was shocked when I first saw her", says Dr. Raucher, "and immediately understood we need to bring her to Israel to try and save her life". Elisa was brought to Israel by SACH. On March 19, 2012, after hours of complicated surgery, the SACH team managed to take out the tumor from Elisa's chest and saved her life. Elisa is now recovering at the Wolfson Medical Center. She will stay in Israel another month and once the doctors are sure she is well enough, she will return home to Angola. The SACH medical team will continue and follow up on Elisa's condition through the local cardiologist in Luanda and will examine her once a year when going to Angola on a medical mission.