Saving Tesfaye: Churches work to bring Ethiopian to U.S. for lifesaving surgery

Tesfaye Ayno is about to embark on a healthy new life.

The 44-year-old pastor is recovering remarkably well from a risky heart surgery in Carson City after he was brought to the United States from his home in Ethiopia, said Art Pabst, with the Fremont Presbyterian Church in Sacramento.

The Shekkacho Partnership was established in mid-1990s in the Shekka Rain Forest by Presbyterian churches mainly from Carson City and Northern California to build relationships and try to understand the needs of the people there, Pabst said. The partnership provides some building materials and supports safe drinking water through special work projects.

Tesfaye, who speaks English, was converted to Christianity and is team leader on a project to translate the Bible into his national language of Amharic.

He is accustomed to living a simple life with his wife and six children in the lush rain forest area of western Ethiopia.

But all that suddenly changed when he learned during a physical examination in January - a two-day bus ride away from home, in the city of Addis Ababa - that he had a serious heart condition. The doctor who discovered the problem scheduled an echocardiogram appointment three months out, and sent Tesfaye home to his village of Masha.

Tesfaye prepared for the worst.

"After finding out about it, I was ready for death. There are no specialists in Ethiopia, and I had no money for something like that," Tesfaye said.

Chain of events

From that point on, however, what transpired to save Tesfaye's life would be nothing short of a miracle.

After returning home to Masha, a German heart doctor happened to be visiting family in the region. The doctor, who knew Tesfaye, heard about his heart problem and decided to listen to it himself.

"After listening, he made Tesfaye get back on that bus back to Addis and immediately rescheduled the echocardiogram right away," Pabst said.

Meanwhile, Pabst and his wife Karen, along with Dave Phillips, also an elder with the Carson City Presbyterian Church project, returned to Ethiopia where they had been many times in the past. They met with Tesfaye's physician, Dr. Dereje, about what could be done to help.

"The doctor turned to us and said, 'What is your intention?' and we told him that it was to see that Tesfaye receive the surgery he needs for his heart," Pabst said.

The laborious process then began - trying to get Tesfaye to the United States and obtaining a referral abroad for him, which had to be signed by five physicians, Pabst said. When the referral was finally received in April, Tesfaye's blood work and other tests were already in hand.

Dave Phillips, chairman of the Shekkacho mission committee, said he began his search for a facility and a surgeon who would take Tesfaye's case. He finally approached retired Carson City doctor Rex Baggett, also an elder with the church.

"I said, 'Dr. Baggett, I have a friend in Ethiopia who needs heart surgery.' He took one look at the paperwork and said, 'He needs it yesterday' and 'I have a hospital. Why don't we do it here?'"

Condition more complicated

Baggett said the problem was much worse than had first been thought.

"The report showed a major aneurysm of the ascending aorta which was at risk of rupturing," Baggett said.

Bagget talked to Dr. Todd Chapman, chief of cardiac surgery at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center and a Mayo Clinic-trained surgeon, who said he'd do it. And Ed Epperson, president and CEO of CTRMC, said the hospital would also be part of the solution.

There was only one thing left - to bring Tesfaye to the United States. By July, there had been numerous delays, so Tom Baker, one of the church members who used to work for U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, pulled some strings, and Reid made it happen, Pabst said.

By Aug. 6, Tesfaye was back in Addis for his visa interview. A contact in Sacramento, Hailu Ibssa, was assigned to be Tesfaye's companion on the 24-hour flight to San Francisco because Tesfaye had never been in an airplane or abroad.

When he finally arrived in Sacramento, he spent four days acclimating, then was brought to Carson City.

When it came time for Tesfaye's cardiac catheterization, Dr. David Baker found something disturbing, Pabst said. The surgery would be more complicated than was expected, and they were looking at a greater mortality risk - 20-25 percent as opposed to the 5 percent they had all expected.

Tesfaye determined

"I told the doctor I came here to have my heart fixed, I have faith in you, and this is God's direction for me," Tesfaye said.

"Tesfaye's surgery was set for 7:30 a.m. Aug. 24, and he went to surgery knowing that it was a 100 percent mortality risk if he didn't have the surgery," Pabst said.

"They removed the aneurysm and made the repairs without an artificial valve," Baggett said. "He stayed in the hospital five days and got excellent care while we all watched him closely. His progress was steady."

On Sept. 22, Chapman told him he was doing well.

"He told him, 'You're going to live to be an old man,'" Baggett said.

Using an interpreter for greater medical comprehension, Chapman was able to tell Tesfaye how to clean his incision, Pabst said.

"He asked Tesfaye if he had any questions, and Tesfaye was able to tell the doctor how much he appreciated what he'd done, and my wife Karen said she saw tears well up in the doctor's eyes," Pabst said.

Tesfaye spent several weeks recuperating in church members' homes throughout Carson City.

"God made this all happen. He put all the links together in this country and out of the country," Tesfaye said.

"I realized when Dr. Baggett took me to the hospital that many people have participated in this, some by praying and some providing money, but this was all done by God. And I asked Dr. Chapman, 'Why are you crying? You saved me.' He said he can do nothing alone," Tesfaye said.

Tesfaye will return to Ethiopia at the end of the month to his wife Abezash and his children who range in age from 4-16. He said he still has a few more visits with people and a few more checkups to complete, but he is anxious to get home.

"I miss my family," he said.