Flight for life: Mongolian kids journey here for life-saving surgery

Friday, June 8, 2001 | 11:31 a.m.

It took more than 9,000 miles, 25 hours and three airplane rides to get Usukhbayar Baasandorj, 6, and Naranjargal Oyun-Erdene, 4, to a doctor.

The children, who have serious congenital heart defects, live with their families in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Although the life-saving operations they need are common practice at most hospitals in the United States, Mongolia has only one pediatric cardiologist to serve a country of more than 2.2 million.

The children arrived in Las Vegas with their mothers and a translator Tuesday, after flying first to Beijing and then on to Chicago. Samaritan's Purse, a nonprofit foundation that brings critically ill children to the United States for medical care, paid for the trip. Sunrise Children's Hospital agreed to donate some of its services.

Oyun-Erdene, an active girl with a sweet smile and silky black ponytail, has additional complications that doctors in Mongolia could not treat. She especially enjoys playing with baby dolls, but her lips quickly turn blue if she walks too quickly, her mother said.

Baasandorj, who enjoys riding his bike and playing video games, would likely die before his turn for surgery came if he remained at home. His father is a chauffeur and the family could never have afforded to take their son abroad for the surgery, his mother said.

The children's mothers, speaking through the interpreter, said they were grateful to Samaritan's Purse for arranging the trip.

This is the first visit to the United States for both women. Naranjargal Togoodulam, the little girl's mother, is a conductor for a train line that traverses Mongolia, Russia and China. Usukhbayar recently graduated from college, and her husband sells car insurance.

"We are very, very lucky," Naranjargal said as she watched her daughter climb inside a small, plastic playhouse at the doctor's office.

Since 1997 Samaritan's Purse has arranged treatment for more than 110 children. It has also provided diagnostic equipment and medical training to physicians abroad, said organization spokeswoman Carissa Mastry.

This is the first time Samaritan's Purse has sent children to Las Vegas for treatment. When choosing a location, the charity must find a hospital willing to perform the procedure, as well as a local family to serve as a host.

The boy underwent surgery this morning, but the girl was scheduled to undergo more tests, Mastry said.

Dale and Donna Lawrence learned of Samaritan's Purse through the Trinity Life Center Church of Las Vegas. The couple, parents of two grown children and married 44 years, volunteered to help.

"We're very honored to be a part of this," Donna Lawrence said. "These kids are getting a second chance at life."

The visitors have quickly settled in and already feel as if they are regular members of the household, Donna Lawrence said.

After lying quietly on an examining table in the doctor's office while a nurse listened to his chest, Baasandorj trotted out into the hall to offer Dale Lawrence a hug.

"I think I'm more nervous than the kids are," Dale Lawrence said with a laugh.