Local teens raise funds, awareness for children needing heart surgeries in El Salvador

CONEJO VALLEY — Generous donations have been collected from many sectors of the local community over the years, helping children in El Salvador receive life saving heart surgeries, Gift of Life Los Angeles, a not for profit association, reported in a media release. The organization hosted its third annual No-Sleep-A-Thon, on March 1 and 2 when teens from around the Conejo Valley gathered together to stay awake for 24 hours.

The teens wiled away the hours singing and dancing, eating pizza donated by Ameci’s Pizza and Pasta, jumping on trampolines at Sky High Sports, racing cars at MB2 Raceway, and bowling at Pinz Bowling Alley. The teens also donated clothing to the Mad Attic Thrift Store, and helped sort clothing, as part of a community service project.

Plenty of fun was had despite the lack of sleep, but the bigger message was not lost on these young people, the organization reported. After all, parents whose children are ill often lose sleep too, but with worry in their hearts, hoping to find help for their child before it is too late. Thanks to fundraisers like the No-Sleep-A-Thon, parents may sleep better at night knowing help is on the way.

For  more information about Gift of Life, visit us at www.giftoflifela.org, or our parent organization www.giftoflifeinternational.org.  You can also find us on facebook at Gift of Life Los Angeles, and Gift of Life International.

About Gift of Life Los Angeles:

Thanks to the efforts of Gift of Life Los Angeles, (www.giftoflifela.org) and its parent organization, Gift of Life International (www.giftoflifeinternational.org), children who might otherwise have perished, have received treatment for cardiac disorders at Bloom Hospital, San Salvador, the only pediatric hospital in the country of El Salvador. Over the past three years, more than 500 children have received cardiac surgeries, children who would not have access to these life saving interventions, without the help of Gift of Life programs and its partners. Not only are lives saved in the hospital, but after care is also provided to the families following the surgeries. Special programs offer family members nutritional assistance, dental follow ups, and vocational training. Medical staff from leading hospitals around the world donate their time and services, visiting Bloom hospital each year. These teams bring state of the art medical procedures and technologies to the local medical professionals, which are sustained by the local team after the visitors leave. Each year, the Salvadoran medical team grows in its scope and ability to care for the children of El Salvador, so fewer medical missions are needed. The dream of the future is to build a National Cardiac Center in San Salvador, staffed by well trained Salvadoran medical professionals. This center will be sustained by the Salvadoran government and business community, slated to provide 250 pediatric cardiac surgeries annually.

Photos include children who have received treatment for cardiac disorders at Bloom Hospital, San Salvador, El Salvador, and young people participating in the third annual No-Sleep-A-Thon, on March 1 and 2 in the Conejo Valley.