When we met Masha S., she could barely walk. Soviet doctors considered her inoperable. Masha’s successful open heart surgery in Oakland, California was the catalyst for founding Heart to Heart Global Cardiac Care. Today, Masha leads an active life and is the mother of a healthy son.

Pasha D. trembled under the stern hand of his grandmother while they waited for a spot on Heart to Heart’s surgical schedule. During the successful operation, his anxious grandmother sat silently praying in a corner. Successful outcomes were considered miraculous in Russia in the early 1990s. Today, all children in St. Petersburg have access to life-saving cardiac care.

Dr. Higashino shared our hope for a better future for children born with congenital heart disease in the Soviet Union. His vision included the addition of a cath lab to bring state-of-the-art diagnoses and treatments to the children of St. Petersburg. Thanks to grants from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Toshiba, Heart to Heart was able to make Dr. Higashino’s vision a life-saving legacy.

After 30 years and the development of six self-sustaining children’s cardiac centers and two adult cardiac centers, Heart to Heart is steadfast in our commitment to our vision: Worldwide, all children and adults, regardless of where they are born or where they live, will have access to life-saving heart care. More than 30,000 children and 5,000 adults have been successfully operated on at Heart to Heart partner sites.

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect worldwide. Yet today, the vast majority of children around the globe still lack access to life-saving surgery. For so many children a single surgery is all that is needed to guarantee a future. Through partnerships with medical professionals throughout Russia, we have given more than 30,000 children like two-year-old Igor (pictured here) the gift of life.

Ten-year-old Genya P., and his father Yuri, wait patiently before the boy’s high-risk heart surgery. Timely treatment is critical for children born with heart defects. During the Soviet Era, the vast majority of Russian children born with CHD died. We continue to honor the memory of our Pioneer Patients by working to expand access to life-saving heart care to children around the world.

In 1990, very few open heart surgeries were performed on children in the USSR. Above, doctors and medical students observe modern surgical techniques as the Heart to Heart team operates at St. Petersburg Children’s Hospital No. 1. Today, in part thanks to Heart to Heart, over 8,000 open heart procedures are performed throughout the country each year.