A Syrian toddler with a clown therapist at Israel's Ziv Medical Center. Photo: Hannah Bickle.

JNS.org – A 4-year-old Syrian civil war refugee from the besieged city of Homs recently underwent what was likely life-saving surgery at the pediatric cardiology ward of the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel.

The boy, Mohammed Hamudi, was born with reversed ventricles, a rare heart condition. A surgical team led by Dr. Dudi Mishali managed to implant a pacemaker in his heart with a long-lasting battery.

“Either we could have operated regularly on him, allowing him to live another 15 to 20 years, or we could have chosen the harder, more complicated option granting him, all things considered, the lifespan of a healthy person,” said Mishali, whose team chose and executed the more complicated option.

Hamudi’s father told Israel Hayom, “The Israeli doctors brought him back to life, and I am happy to have met this country.”