A German woman has received a medal of gratitude from Da Nang’s government and doctors after spending 10 years working to help treat children with heart conditions in the city.

Children with congenital heart conditions are treated with equipment sponsored by Heart for Heart in Da Nang. Photo by the Da Nang General Hospital

Irene Lejeune, founder of the Heart for Heart non-profit organisation, was in Da Nang recently to celebrate the anniversary.

Equipment donated by her organisation helped set the foundations for cardiological treatment at the Da Nang General Hospital, which has treated tens of thousands of patients and performed nearly 3,500 heart surgeries.

Lejeune and her husband founded Heart for Heart in 2003 to support children with heart conditions around the world.

Irene Lejeune (2nd R), founder of Heart for Heart, during a visit to Da Nang. Photo courtesy of Da Nang Hospital

In 2006, she met Le Trong Phi, a Vietnamese doctor at a heart treatment center in Germany, who became her connection in Viet Nam.

Since November 2006, Heart for Heart has donated more than VND50 billion ($2.2 million) worth of equipment used for cardiac catheterization, an invasive imaging procedure that allows doctors to evaluate a patient's heart.

“I am impressed with how doctors here are committed to helping their patients,” Lejeune said, explaining why she is determined to continue supporting Da Nang.

(Source: VnExpress/ International)