Four Iraqi children left Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx Tuesday after undergoing life-saving heart surgery thanks to a soldier from Tarrytown.

MaryKay Satryano played a crucial role in getting the children the surgery they needed. Satryano belongs to an organization called the Gift of Life International, Inc. The program is designed to give kids with congenital heart disease the opportunity to receive heart surgery in the United States. The children, ages 6,11,12 and 14 all suffered severe heart problems. The surgery they needed was not available in Iraq.

The children are staying with host families until mid-January when they will return home to Iraq. There are 1,500 children in Iraq currently on a waiting list that need this type of medical help.Related Link:Gift of Life International, Inc.Related Article: