PORTLAND — Physicians say a 4-month-old Iranian girl with a rare heart condition who was affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban is “out of the woods” and making good progress after her life-saving surgery Friday.
Fatemeh Reshad and her parents’ plans to enter the United States with a travel visa for the infant’s surgery were canceled last month after Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran.
The girl and her parents arrived in Portland, the home of some of their relatives, a few days later after being granted a waiver the same day Trump’s ban was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
Doctor’s at Oregon Health Sciences University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital have an expertise in the infant’s condition.
Fatemeh underwent surgery Feb. 17, a procedure her physicians say was more complicated given that it’s typically performed within days or weeks, rather than months, after birth. The family’s delayed arrival to the U.S. would not have necessarily been enough time to affect her condition, the girl’s doctors said during a news conference Monday.
“Her heart function looks beautiful,” said Dr. Laurie Armsby, associate professor and interim head of the hospital’s Division of Pediatric Cardiology. “We’re really pleased with how the surgery went and have a very strong sense at this point that she’s going to recover fully and go on to lead a happy and healthy life.”
Fatemeh underwent a series of diagnostic studies since she was admitted to the hospital Feb. 7. The infant remains in intensive care and it’s unclear how long her recovery will take.
