Team Indiana Hearts is an offshoot of "Operational International". Plan is to visit Kenya in April 2026 for 10 days. Plan is to perform life saving heart surgeries for the patients in Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. We will be going with a team of 8-9 members which comprises of Surgeon (myself), Physician Assistant, CV Operating Room Nurses and Intensive Care Nurses & Perfusionists.
Local population in Nairobi, Kenya - will be recipient of life saving heart surgeries. Additionally the local surgeons will be trained to perform such surgeries so the work can continue even after our team returns home to United States.
With the plan to operate on several patients who are waiting in a long line of patients needing surgery - will help reduce the burden but most importantly the greater impact will be if we are able to add to the training of the local surgeons and their teams - which will leave a long lasting impact locally in Nairobi. Additionally plan is to have multi disciplinary conferences through the year so we could have them benefit from the expertise available in United States.
I am writing to share an update regarding our recent surgical mission trip to Kenyatta University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Thanks to incredible dedication, seamless collaboration, and immense generosity, I am proud to share that our mission has been successfully completed, leaving a profound and lasting impact on a community in dire need.
This achievement was only possible because of an extraordinary collective sacrifice. We did not just travel as individual volunteers; we brought an entire, fully functional cardiac surgery operating room team—including perfusionists, specialized operating room nurses, and intensive care nurses, highly trained Physician Assistant, Cardiac Anesthesiologist, Surgical Intensivist and a Cardiac Surgeon. Every single member of this team chose to leave their families, pause their own busy medical practices, and personally donate their time, resources, and clinical skills to make this journey happen. Because of this dedication, we successfully performed several highly complex, life-saving open-heart surgeries.
The patients we treated were individuals who had completely reached the end of their road, suffering from advanced heart conditions without access to the specialized care required to survive. Many of them had been waiting for several years just for the opportunity to have surgery on their hearts, living in a state of fragile health and uncertainty. Because our team stepped in when time was running out, those years of agonizing waiting are finally over. We were able to give these resilient individuals a second chance at life, restoring their health and keeping their families whole.
Crucially, the impact of this mission extends far beyond the patients we operated on. One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey was the profound educational exchange. Local OR nurses, cardiac surgeons, and training fellows from both cardiac surgery and anesthesia, perfusionists worked side-by-side with our US team. They had the opportunity to train directly in these complex procedures, gaining immense hands-on experience and advanced skills that will elevate patient care in Nairobi long after our departure.
This experience was also a deeply humbling one for us. It was incredible to witness how the local team operates every day with minimal resources. They possess talent, intellect, and dedication, and it became vividly clear that they could perform exponentially more life-saving surgeries if they were simply blessed with better infrastructure and modern equipment.
Ultimately, this journey has profoundly altered our own perspectives. Seeing what the team in Kenya can accomplish with so little made us realize just how incredibly blessed we are here in the United States, where we operate in an environment of immense surplus. Beyond the hospital walls, it was deeply moving to see how everyday people survive, live contentedly, and get by on so little food and water. It served as a powerful, enduring reminder of how much more we can—and must—do to conserve our resources and eliminate waste. If the rest of the world could learn to use resources more judiciously, and if those surpluses could be diverted to the truly needy, our world would be a much better, more beautiful place to dwell.
A monumental effort of this magnitude requires a massive logistical, material, and financial push, and it truly took a village to bring it to fruition. I want to extend my deepest, most sincere gratitude to the pillars of this mission:
The Dox Foundation and Operation International, for their incredible organization, guidance, and foundational support.
Edwards Lifesciences and Abbott Valves, for providing the critical, specialized medical devices and equipment necessary to perform these complex surgeries.
The Beacon Foundation and the Midwest Cardiovascular Research and Education Foundation, for their vital financial commitment to global health and clinical training.
Each and every donor, no matter how big or small the contribution; your generosity translated directly into a sustained heartbeat and a transformed future.
Every member of my group "Team Indiana Hearts" and their families, who supported them through the long hours, prep work, and time away from home.
Team Kenya, whose warmth, collaboration, hospitality, and astute clinical minds made us feel at home and enabled us to work as one unified team.
Most importantly, the patients in Kenya, who trusted us with their lives, inspired us with their resilience, and gave our entire team unforgettable, lifetime memories.
Thank you all for your immense compassion, generosity, and support. We proved that when a dedicated global community gives everything they have, we can restore hope exactly where it is needed most.
With deep gratitude,
Amjad Syed, MD
