MIAMI, FL — A Miami Children’s surgical team led by John Ragheb, MD, MCH Director of Neurosurgery, traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in March, bringing hope and healing to families of children with hydrocephalus, and leaving a legacy of better healthcare within the tiny island republic. 

Working in affiliation with Project Medishore, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing medical care to Haiti, Dr. Ragheb and his team arrived with surgical equipment and supplies to provide life-saving intervention for babies with hydrocephalus, a disease that causes cerebrospinal fluid to accumulate in the brain. 

During the three-day visit, the team performed endoscopic neurosurgery on 17 children, creating new pathways for fluid drainage within the youngster’s brains and halting the accumulation of fluid. Previously, hydrocephalus went untreated in Haiti, leading to the inevitable disability or death of afflicted children. 

The Miami Children’s medical exchange promises lasting benefits for the people of Haiti. During the visit, Dr. Ragheb trained a Haitian neurosurgeon to perform the corrective surgery and supplied him with donated equipment for future interventions. 

“Through the extraordinary efforts of Miami Children’s operating room staff and a Jackson Memorial Hospital anesthesia team, we provided life saving care to children in need. Most importantly, we gave the families hope for a normal life.”