Amman, July 2009 – Reaping the fruits of cooperation between both individuals and institutions from the local community towards a humanitarian cause, the Gift of Life Charitable Society in Amman (GOLA) in Amman announced the success of the surgery performed on Ahmad Ramadan, an 11-month-old baby suffering from a congenital heart disease (CHD), a birth defect which inhibits the heart's ability to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the tissues of the body. The Society's preparations for this accomplishment took place in cooperation with the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts through the hosting of a fundraising event entitled "Tastings for Gift of Life" under the slogan "Save a child’s life, answer a parent’s prayer, and sow seeds of friendship and peace," which received much success and was able to raise over 6000 JODs in donations to fund the expenses of the operation.
The corrective operation, which restored hope to the baby's family, was performed by surgeon Dr. Bassam Akasheh and pediatric cardiologist Dr. Khalid Salaymeh free of charge; whereby the successful 3 hour operation was performed on the 30th of June 2009 in the Al-Khalidi Hospital.
Commenting on this accomplishment, Mr. Rudy Habash, GOLA's Chairman, said "We are extremely happy and proud of this achievement, and we are glad to see baby Ahmad carrying on with normal day to day activities, confident in the importance of community work and the right that all people have to a healthy life."
The mother of the 11 month baby expressed her sincere appreciation to all the supporters who helped her and her husband's achieve their lifelong dream: "I cannot find the right words to express my happiness in seeing my baby healthy, thank god, I have never seen him so comfortable and well. He has been having a lot of difficulty sleeping because of severe sweating caused by the disease, but he can now sleep for longer hours because his heart is working properly again. This is a testament to the fact that there is good in our society."

Mr. Habash expressed his gratitude to all those who sponsored this event and helped it succeed including the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts who hosted the event, the Landmark Hotel for setting up the reception, all the restaurant sponsors including Canvas, ATICO Fakhreldin Group, Kebab Express, Casper & Gambini’s, Trader Vic’s, and the Romero Group, in addition to Zumot Vineyards, the exclusive wine sponsor, and PepsiCo. He also thanked the list of raffle sponsors, which included the restaurant sponsors and Heidelberg Jordan and Christina Ferrari Jewelery & Gifts. Mr. Habash also expressed his appreciation to Anty Magazine of Front Row Publishing & Media Services, the event's magazine sponsor, the National Press, who were the event's printing sponsor, DJ sponsor Shadi Zureik, and Bidaya for Corporate Communications who were the Media Consultancy, coverage and content sponsors.
Through this initiative the Society reflects its true aspirations to have an impact on the lives of children in the Middle East and North Africa. This success lies within its programs that aim to save the lives of children who suffer from heart disease.

About the Gift of Life Charitable Society - Amman (GOLA)
The Gift of Life Charitable Society (GOLA) was established in Amman in April 2006 as a non-profit charity group inspired by Gift of Life International. Since its inception, GOLA has facilitated over 100 surgeries for needy children from around the Middle East and Africa.
GOLA is registered as a charitable society with the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development, and serves as a beacon of hope and support for families in need of assistance to save the lives of their children who suffer from Congenital Heart Disease.
Alongside a series of life-saving heart surgeries provided by a team of Jordanian doctors, GOLA conducts annual Heart Missions at Al-Khalidi Medical Center conducted by volunteer medical professionals. GOLA’s Heart Missions witness extraordinary collaboration between Jordanian and American medical personnel, which promotes the exchange of medical practices and helps in developing life-long friendships – not only between the medical teams, but with the patients’ families as well.

This news release has been distributed by Bidaya Corporate Communications on behalf of the Gift of Life Charitable Society.
For more information or assistance please contact us on the below number:

Tel: +962 6 5692008/9
Fax: +962 6 5692007
P.O.Box: 930391, Amman 11193, Jordan
E-Mail: media@bidayacorp.com