WHILE some were resting, this weekend was exceptionally hectic for others. Al-Shefa Hospital in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority Red Crescent Office, the Turkish Embassy in Cairo, the Embassy of Egypt in Ankara, the Turkish Consulate General in occupied Jerusalem and the two countries' Red Crescent Societies did not rest during this weekend. On Saturday, the Rafah border crossing with Gaza opened for a Palestinian ambulance carrier to transfer a small, barely breathing body to a fully equipped high technology Egyptian Red Crescent ambulance. The passenger was rushed to El- Arish airport, normally closed to international flights, to board a private Turkish emergency medical evacuation airliner. The story behind this joint mobilisation started when President Hosni Mubarak ordered the unlimited opening of the Rafah pass, to relieve the suffering of Gazans through the delivery of supplies and enabling civilian crossings. All this effort was to save the life of a seven-day-old baby boy from Gaza named Seraj Alaa, who was suffering from "Blue Baby Syndrome". A Turkish journalist visiting Gaza from Egypt found out that the newborn Seraj was about to die at Al-Shefaa Hospital, because of the lack of medical supplies and special pediatric surgery equipment needed to treat this kind of heart disorder. The correspondent published this news in Milliyet newspaper in Turkey, which triggered a tremendous public appeal to save the life of the Palestinian baby. Egyptian and Turkish diplomats, and health departments did not waste a moment, and worked hand in hand to transfer the baby from Gaza into Egypt, and than rush him to a fully equipped hospital in Turkey on Saturday. The little Palestinian boy is now in safe hands and will receive the vital medical care that may save his life. The birth disorder Tetralogy of Fallot, commonly known as "Blue Baby Syndrome", is a condition that was initially thought to be untreatable until the specialists of Johns Hopkins University developed a palliative surgical procedure several decades ago. In years prior to this total repair, Tetralogy of Fallot carried a high risk of mortality. This risk has gone down steadily thanks to the continuing research of specialists over the years. Now, modern surgery is often carried out in infants one year of age or younger with a peri-operative mortality rate of less than 5 per cent. The infant Seraj now has a strong chance of surviving to see the sun again, to grow up and run in the fields together with the other children in Gaza, perhaps in a free and united Palestine. Most important to note is that Rafah gate is no longer a barrier, but has become a bridge of hope.
