Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - A teenager from another country came all the way to Syracuse and Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital for lifesaving heart surgery and now she has much to be thankful for.
Samantha Cadet is nothing short of a miracle. Nearly one month ago, her family didn’t even think she would make it past her 20s. But today that’s all changed.
“She was a sickly child. She was a young girl and her mother took her to a Haitian doctor who said she had a life-threatening condition and said there’s nothing you can do about it in Haiti,” said Owen Robinson of Partners in Health.
The soft-spoken 15-year-old who doesn’t speak a great deal of English was living with a condition that left a hole in her heart and significant fluid build-up. It’s a potentially deadly disorder she’s struggled with for nearly all her life.
“Her mother has been doing everything she can to try to help her of course, including moving her to Port-Au-Prince,” said Owen Robinson of Partners in Health.
Then her mother found Partners in Health. The international organization flew Samantha to Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital where she had open-heart surgery in late January. But her mother could not be by her side because she could not obtain a Visa to get to the United States.
"We had to talk to her mother and make sure there was a chance Samantha might not come home," said Carol Dawson, Nurse Practitioner.
But after four hours of extensive surgery, Samantha made it through. She spent seven days in recovery and was released from the hospital on Feb. 5. The teenager says she now plans to continue the mission of the people who helped her by becoming a cardiologist to help save the lives of other young children.
Samantha will be back in Haiti by the second week of February. Doctors say she will continue taking medication, and has made a great recovery after the surgery.
