GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A 1-year-old boy born in northern Iraq with a rare, complex heart defect now has hope for a long and active life, after undergoing open heart surgery at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Little Daniel Alpatros crawled across an exam bed at the hospital, laughing and playing, his dark eyes shining and his cheeks a healthy shade of pink.

“I am so happy,” said his mother, Ban Khamoo, through an interpreter. “It’s indescribable.”

Daniel was born Oct. 13, 2013, in a village near the city of Erbil, to Ban (pronounced Baan) and her husband, Ayad. The couple, Chaldean Catholics, moved to northern Iraq in 2007 because of violence in Baghdad.

When Daniel was 1 month old, a doctor told his parents he had a heart defect called tetralogy of fallot – which involves four defects in the heart.

It is “one of the so-called blue baby conditions, because of the low oxygen saturation in the bloodstream as a result of the heart defect,” said Dr. Jeffrey Schneider, a pediatric cardiologist at Spectrum Health’s Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “It is not compatible with a long and healthy life. It does not self-correct.”

Daniel’s parents, who are both teachers, were told he needed surgery, but the operation was not available in Iraq. They were told to go to America.

“They thought that was next to impossible,” said Fairouz Kamal, of Grand Rapids, who interpreted for Khamoo. “Who’s going to take us to America? Who’s going to help us with that?”

The parents got in contact with a Detroit-based group, the Iraqi Human Rights Society of the U.S.A., which advocates for Christians and other minorities in Iraq. That group contacted the Healing the Children chapter based in Grand Rapids, which worked with Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital to arrange the operation.

By then, Daniel was 1. His mother didn’t allow him to crawl around much or try to walk because he would turn blue and become tired.

Khamoo left her husband and their 3-year-old son, Joseph, in Iraq and brought Daniel to Grand Rapids on Nov. 6. She and Daniel moved in with a host family, Kris and Arnie Lee, of East Grand Rapids.



"I have never seen a more caring, aware, alert, loving mom," Kris Lee said.

On Nov. 11, pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Marcus Haw performed a four-hour operation to repair Daniel’s heart.

“There is a patch closure of a large hole in his heart,” Schneider said. “Daniel also had work done on his pulmonary valve and also had patch augmentation of one of his lung arteries.”

The surgery was a success, Haw said on Monday Dec. 8, when Daniel came in for a follow-up visit.

“He’s a little older than we would normally do,” he said. “But it’s a disease we regularly treat.”

Daniel can have an active childhood – participating in sports and other gym class.

“He’s a bit of a star,” Haw said, as Daniel gazed up at a camera. “He likes to be the center of attention.”

The difference in his activity level is dramatic.

“Now he crawls and walks without being blue. He is pink all the time,” Khamoo said.

And Daniel is not the only one feeling better. Khamoo and her husband have gone from despair to joy.

“They didn’t treat only the heart of Daniel,” she said. “They treated three hearts – mine and my husband’s and our baby.”

Kris Lee agreed.

“Daniel was a miracle, but Mom was feeling sicker than he was,” she said. “To see her face change – she sings she is happy and smiling around the house - it is like she had heart surgery.”

Haw and Schneider said they were glad they could help.

“It’s very rewarding,” Schneider added. “I am so struck at how grateful this mother is. She expresses her gratitude at every corner.”

For Khamoo, the healing of her son is a miracle, brought about by a team of volunteers.

“I am going to pray for every one,” she said.

Sue Thoms covers health care for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at sthoms1@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.