SANTA ANA : A Gift That Knows No Boundaries

Smiling and toying with brightly colored games in a pediatric ward playroom, Marika Gourgenidze, 3, gave no sign that she had undergone surgery to correct a life-threatening birth defect just eight days before.

Dressed in a red sweater and a blue jeans skirt, the little girl from the Republic of Georgia explored the room with all the energy and curiosity of other children her age. Nearby, her grateful parents watched and praised the doctors, nurses and others who have made possible her life-saving trip from half a world away.

“Every day she feels a little better and a little happier,” her mother, Duga Eristavi, 38, said through an interpreter this week. “And every day we’re a little more optimistic that our child will grow up to be a normal child.”

Marika was born with a congenital bladder abnormality that was slowly damaging her kidneys and would have eventually caused them to fail. During a visit to Armenia in 1990, Dr. Garo Tertzakian, a urologist at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, met the girl and her family after they traveled from Tblisi, Georgia, for medical help. Tertzakian performed surgery then that he hoped would correct her condition.

However, during Tertzakian’s visit to Georgia earlier this year, tests showed that despite initial improvement, Marika’s problem was growing steadily worse and that more extensive surgery was required. He felt that her best chance for successful treatment was in the United States.

Tertzakian began helping the family navigate Georgia’s tangled web of bureaucratic red tape by sending letters to authorities in both Tblisi and Moscow explaining the girl’s plight. In the end, the Georgian government intervened to expedite the family’s trip.

“We decided something had to be done to save this child’s life. She is a unique child--she is an only child,” Tertzakian said. “The whole hospital is energized by this. Everyone was asking: ‘How’s the little girl from Georgia?’ ”

Tertzakian teamed up with nine other physicians and the hospital to donate an estimated $40,000 worth of medical expertise, hospital care, air fare and accommodations.

“In this day and age, when hospitals are facing deficits and everything, this was a major gift of love and life,” Tertzakian said.

Pediatric urology specialists Igal Silber and Joseph Raffel performed the surgery on Dec. 7. Now, with rosy cheeks and a bright smile, Marika has more energy and enthusiasm than before her operation, her mother said.

Asked through an interpreter how she felt, Marika surprised visitors by using English she has picked up in the hospital: “I’m very good, thank you.”

“We are extremely grateful to this hospital that has given new life to our child,” said her father, Kote Gourgenidze. “This is something we will remember for the rest of our lives.”

The family is staying at a motel near the hospital for a few weeks so Marika, who has been discharged, can receive follow-up care.

Tertzakian said that for the family and for their neighbors in Georgia, the gift of medical care is considered more than a just a life-saving present for a little girl. “They are taking this as an honor for their nation, as a friendship between two countries,” he said.

Tertzakian said the humanitarian effort was important not only for Marika, but for everyone involved, adding: “Sometimes we forget we have everything. All it takes (to remind us) is being able to help those who need it.”