Katherine Nicole Pacheco Guevera was successfully operated on at the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center on June 21, 2010. Dr. Suvro S. Sett, Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery performed the operation.

SHE IS SHOWN HERE WITH HER MOTHER ROSA, HOST MOTHER LYN ROTH JACOBS OF THE PELHAM ROTARY CLUB, GRACE AGWARU (THE 1ST CHILD OPERATED ON IN 1975), KATHERINE'S AUNT & COUSIN,AND FREDLEE ANN KAPLAN OF THE NEW YORK ROTARY CLUB AND GIFT OF LIFE INTERNATIONAL.

KATHERINE TRAVELED HERE ON JUNE 15TH WITH HER MOTHER FROM SAN SALVADOR, AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ATRIAL SEPTAL DEFECT (ASD), A DEFECT IN THE WALL OF THE TWO UPPER CHAMBERS OF THE HEART. SHE WAS SELECTED AS PART OF GIFT OF LIFE INTERNATIONAL'S "OUR HEARTS ARE IN EL SALVADOR" PROGRAM, ONE OF 40 CHILDREN WHO HAVE UNDERGONE HEART SURGERY THIS MONTH IN VARIOUS HOSPITALS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. SHE HAS BEEN STAYING WITH MRS. ROTH JACOBS, A PAST PRESIDENT OF THE PELHAM ROTARY CLUB, AND HER HUSBAND BILL.

THE PELHAM CLUB HAS HOSTED 7 CHILDREN IN THE PAST. THE COST FOR MOST SURGERIES FOR A CLUB IS $5000-$10,000, PAID DIRECTLY TO THE HOSPITAL. LOCAL ROTARIANS ASSIST WITH TRANSPORTATION, CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT FOR MOST VISITING FAMILIES.

GIFT OF LIFE IS A ROTARY PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES LIFE-SAVING HEART SURGERY FOR CHILDREN FROM DEVELOPING NATIONS. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO HAS BEGUN TRAINING SURGEONS AND OTHER MEDICAL PERSONNEL IN UGANDA TO DO THIS SURGERY IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A SUSTAINABLE PEDIATRIC CARDIAC SURGERY CENTER. THIS TRAINING WILL ALSO BE PLANNED FOR EL SALVADOR IN THE FALL OF 2010.

**Maggie Klein, editor of The Pelham Weekly and Alex Wolff, Journalist.