Moshe, a grandfather of 10, was physically active and regularly cycled long distances and swam two kilometres in the sea three times a week.
He went to hospital after experiencing unusual fatigue and severe chest pain. Medical examinations revealed an eight-centimetre tumour in the left side of his heart. The tumour was moving with every heartbeat and posed a serious risk of blocking blood flow.
Dr Hagai Dekel, head of the hospital’s cardiac surgery department, immediately ordered emergency surgery.
Among the medical team involved in the operation was Dr Jean de Dieu Nsanzimana, who is currently studying at Wolfson Medical Center as part of specialist training in surgery to correct congenital heart defects in children.
Shortly before Moshe was taken into surgery, while he was sitting and signing the consent forms for the procedure, he suddenly began having difficulty breathing, turned pale and went into cardiac arrest. The tumour had completely blocked blood flow through his heart.
Dr Nsanzimana, who was nearby, immediately began resuscitation efforts, including chest compressions to keep blood and oxygen flowing to vital organs. Working together with other doctors, they managed to restart Moshe’s heart.
He was immediately taken into surgery, where Dr Nsanzimana and Dr Dekel removed the eight-centimetre tumour, allowing blood to flow normally again.
Moshe said that after regaining consciousness, he was told that the Rwandan doctor who had been beside him had played a crucial role in saving his life.
“When I woke up, I was told that the tall man from Rwanda who was beside me had saved my life. I was happy to meet him, and I was fortunate to have such a professional doctor beside me when it happened. I did not know about Save a Child’s Heart, and I did not know that doctors from Africa were receiving advanced training in Israel. He saved my life,” Moshe said.
Dr Nsanzimana said saving the life of an Israeli patient was a source of pride, particularly because Israel and the Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) organisation have for years supported Rwanda by training doctors and providing treatment for children with heart conditions.
Dr Nsanzimana is in Israel for a five-year specialist training programme in paediatric cardiac surgery, focusing on congenital heart conditions in children.
After completing the programme, he is expected to return to Rwanda and work at King Faisal Hospital, where he will become one of Rwanda’s specialist doctors trained to perform heart surgery on children.
