Global Cardiac Alliance

02/24/2026

👁 The hardest truth in global health is that good intentions don’t equal good outcomes.

In your lifetime, a pediatric heart surgeon will tell you that fly-in, fly-out medical missions leave nothing behind. It is very important that you understand why.

Here’s what happens every time a foreign surgical team flies in and flies out:

❌ The visiting team performs every surgery themselves, local doctors observe but never lead
❌ When complications arise at 2am after the team flies home, there’s no one trained to manage them
❌ The local hospital doesn’t gain a single new capability
❌ The same children who were too young for surgery this trip will age out before the next visit
❌ The cycle repeats year after year with zero progress toward independence

I’ve spent 30+ years in operating rooms across 36 countries. I’ve seen this model fail communities over and over.

Here’s what actually works:

✅ Committing 3–7 years to each site
✅ Making 3–6 trips per year — not one
✅ Every surgery becomes a live training session for the local team
✅ Local surgeons lead cases with mentored guidance until they’re confident
✅ Nurses, perfusionists, and ICU staff are trained simultaneously
✅ The program has an exit strategy — because the goal is to become unnecessary

The question isn’t “how many children did the visiting team save?” It’s “how many children can the local team save after the visitors leave?”

That’s the only metric that matters.

🔥 Link in bio to support programs that build lasting surgical independence.

02/23/2026

🫀 They don’t tell you that the first time you hand the scalpel to a local surgeon, your hands are shaking more than theirs.

They don’t tell you that you’ll spend years building trust before a single independent case happens. That some hospitals have never seen a pediatric heart surgery performed. That the equipment you take for granted at home doesn’t exist here.

They don’t tell you about the power outages mid-surgery. The supply chains that collapse overnight. The moments where you’re improvising with whatever is available because there is no backup plan.

What no one tells you is that the local doctors aren’t less skilled. They’re less resourced. And the moment you give them training, mentorship, and time, they become extraordinary.

They don’t tell you about the nurse who stayed up 72 hours straight learning ICU protocols because she knew the next child’s life depended on it. Or the perfusionist who practiced on simulation equipment for months before his first live case.

What no one tells you is that the proudest moment isn’t when you perform a perfect surgery. It’s when the local team performs one without you in the room.

They don’t tell you that building a cardiac surgery program from nothing takes 3–7 years. That you’ll make dozens of trips. That some days you’ll want to quit. And that every single moment is worth it when a country can save its own children.

This work was never about foreign surgeons being the answer. It was about proving that local teams were the answer all along.

What would you want to know about this work? Drop your questions below ⬇️❤️

02/21/2026

💔 The most dangerous phrase in pediatric health is “they’ll grow out of it.”
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After decades operating on children’s hearts around the world, I’ve heard the same story from hundreds of families: the warning signs were there for months before anyone took them seriously.
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Here are the red flags that don’t look like heart problems but often are:
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😰 Excessive Sweating During Feeds → If your baby is drenched after nursing or bottle feeding, that’s not normal. The heart is working so hard to pump blood that basic activities become exhausting.
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💤 Unusual Fatigue → A baby or toddler who tires easily, naps excessively, or can’t keep up with children their age isn’t just “laid back.”
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📉 Falling Behind on Growth Charts → When a child eats adequately but doesn’t gain weight, every calorie is being burned just to keep the heart functioning. The body prioritizes survival over growth.
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🫁 Breathing That Doesn’t Match the Activity → Fast breathing at rest. Laboured breathing during feeds. Nostrils flaring. Ribs pulling in with each breath.
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These are not phases. Children don’t outgrow structural heart defects. Their hearts simply work harder until they can’t anymore.
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Here’s what I recommend:
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✔️ Request a second opinion — ideally from a pediatric cardiologist
✔️ Ask for an echocardiogram — the most effective early test for congenital heart disease
✔️ Track patterns, not single moments — symptoms that repeat should never be dismissed
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Through the Global Cardiac Alliance, my team and I train local doctors worldwide to catch these signs early and deliver life-saving care where it’s needed most 🌍❤️
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Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any concerns about your child’s health.
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02/20/2026

🫀 While you’re scrolling, please share this. It could save a child’s life.

This month alone, 14 families reached out to tell us that after watching our content, they took their child to a cardiologist. Four of those children were immediately sent for surgery.

Four children. Whose heart defects were missed. Until their parents saw a video and recognized the signs.

That’s why I’m more passionate than ever about getting this information out.

After 30+ years of operating on children’s hearts, the thing that keeps me up at night isn’t the surgeries. It’s the children who never make it to the operating room because no one knew what to look for.

Here’s what every parent should ask for:

🩺 A pulse oximetry screening → Non-invasive, takes 2 minutes, and can detect heart defects invisible to the naked eye. Ask for it before you leave the hospital.

🩺 An echocardiogram → The gold standard for detecting congenital heart disease. If your child shows ANY warning signs — breathing fast, feeding struggles, poor growth — request one. Don’t wait.

🩺 A pediatric cardiologist referral → Your general pediatrician may not catch subtle cardiac signs. If something feels off, push for a specialist. Early detection changes everything.

These tests are:

- Non-invasive
- Take minutes, not hours
- And could uncover a condition that is 100% treatable when caught in time

1 in 100 babies are born with a heart defect. Most are completely fixable with early detection and the right surgical team.

Share this with every parent you know. 14 families listened. 4 children are alive because of it. ❤️

🔥 Link in bio to learn the warning signs every family should know.

02/19/2026

❤️‍🩹 This is the moment most people never get to see.

A child waking up after open heart surgery. In a hospital where, just a few years ago, this surgery didn’t exist. Performed not by a visiting foreign team, but by local surgeons who were trained to do it themselves.

The fear in a parent’s eyes when they hand their child over for surgery is universal. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in. That terror is the same in Memphis, Kampala, Phnom Penh, and Tripoli.

But here’s what’s different in the countries where we work:

These families were told there was no hope. They were told their child’s heart couldn’t be fixed here. That they’d need to travel to another country, if they could afford it. Most couldn’t.

Then a training program arrived. Not for a week. Not for a photo opportunity. For years.

Local surgeons learned to operate. Nurses mastered pediatric cardiac ICU care. Perfusionists trained on life-support equipment. An entire team was built from the ground up.

And now, a child who would have died is walking the hospital halls. Nervous around people in scrubs. Unsure about the beeping machines. But alive.

The nurse who sits on the floor to play with a scared toddler after surgery. The local surgeon who checks on their patient at midnight. The parent who collapses in relief when they hear “the surgery went well.”

These moments happen every day in programs we’ve built. Not because a foreign team showed up. Because a local team was believed in.

That’s what capacity building looks like. Not headlines. Not hero stories. Just a child who gets to grow up. ❤️

🔥 Link in bio to support training local teams to save children’s lives.

02/18/2026

🫀 Heart defects aren’t always the villain. Missed signs are.

Let’s get something straight. Heart defects didn’t kill those children. The assumption that they “looked fine” did.

1 in 100 babies are born with a congenital heart defect. Many look perfectly healthy at birth.
But, in certain cases, “healthy-looking” isn’t healthy. It’s a heart compensating until it can’t anymore.

Here’s what a “normal” baby with an undetected heart defect actually looks like:

The good feeder who suddenly isn’t → They nursed fine for weeks. Now they’re tiring after 5 minutes, sweating through feeds, pulling off the breast to catch their breath. This isn’t a phase. The heart is losing its ability to compensate.

The small baby who “just runs small” → They eat enough but don’t gain. Every calorie is being burned just to keep the heart functioning. The body chose survival over growth.

The fast breather at rest → You notice their chest moving rapidly while they sleep. More than 60 breaths per minute. No cold. No fever. Just a heart and lungs under strain that no one has investigated.

The baby who’s “just fussy” → Inconsolable crying, arching the back, difficulty settling. Sometimes it’s colic. Sometimes it’s a child in cardiac distress that no one has screened for.

After 30+ years operating on children’s hearts across 36 countries, I can tell you, the parents who pushed for answers saved their children’s lives. Every time.

If something feels wrong, don’t wait. Request an echocardiogram. See a pediatric cardiologist. Trust yourself.

🔥 Link in bio for more warning signs every parent needs to know.

02/17/2026

🫀 Stop Googling symptoms. Start asking for these tests.

After 30+ years operating on children’s hearts, these are the screenings and signs I wish every parent knew to ask about:

🩺 At Birth
- Pulse oximetry screening, measures oxygen levels, catches invisible defects in 2 minutes
- Physical exam with cardiac focus, listening for murmurs, checking pulses in all four limbs
- Prenatal echocardiogram, if there’s any family history, request this BEFORE birth

🍼 First 6 Months
- Feeding assessment, excessive sweating, tiring quickly, or stopping to breathe during feeds are NOT normal
- Growth tracking, consistent drops on the growth chart are a red flag, not just “a small baby”
- Breathing rate at rest, more than 60 breaths per minute needs investigation, not reassurance

🩻 If Anything Feels Off
- Echocardiogram, the gold standard for diagnosing congenital heart disease, non-invasive, painless
- Pediatric cardiologist referral, your general pediatrician may not catch subtle cardiac signs, push for a specialist
- ECG (electrocardiogram), checks heart rhythm and electrical activity, takes minutes

⚠️ Red Flags At Any Age
- Blue or grey lips, fingernails, or skin
- Fainting or unusual fatigue during activity
- Chest pain or racing heart in older children
- Falling behind peers physically without explanation
- Recurrent respiratory infections

💡 Tip: Screenshot this list. Bring it to your next pediatric appointment. Don’t wait for symptoms to get “bad enough.”

Prevention and early detection save more children’s lives than any surgery. And I say that as the surgeon.

🔥 Link in bio for more pediatric heart health information every parent needs.

02/16/2026

🫀 👇 After 30+ years and 36 countries, here’s what changed, and why.

1️⃣ Assume a normal exam means a healthy heart → Many critical defects produce zero symptoms at birth.

2️⃣ Trust “they’ll grow out of it” → Children don’t outgrow structural heart defects. Their hearts compensate until they can’t.

3️⃣ Operate and leave → Performing surgery without training the local team changes nothing long-term.

4️⃣ Blame feeding problems on colic → A baby who sweats through feeds, tires after minutes, or stops to catch their breath isn’t fussy.

5️⃣ Ignore a parent’s instinct → Parents notice subtle changes long before checkups catch them.

6️⃣ Support one-time surgical missions → Fly-in, fly-out trips create emotional content, not lasting change. The local hospital gains nothing.

7️⃣ Measure success by surgeries performed → The real metric isn’t how many operations the visiting team did.

8️⃣ Train only surgeons → A surgeon alone can’t save a child. You need trained nurses, perfusionists, anesthesiologists, and ICU staff working as a unit. We train entire teams or we don’t go.

9️⃣ Accept geography as a death sentence → A child born with a heart defect in Memphis survives. The same child born in Kampala dies. Not because the condition is different. Because the access is. That’s fixable.

🔟 Work without an exit strategy → The goal was never to keep coming back forever. The goal is to become unnecessary. Every program we build has an endpoint: the day the local team operates independently.

These aren’t opinions. They’re lessons written in 30 years of outcomes.

🔥 Link in bio to see what evidence-based global cardiac care looks like.

02/14/2026

🔬 Medical missions, why the global health world is finally questioning them.

For decades, fly-in fly-out missions lived in two worlds: heartwarming fundraiser content and actual healthcare delivery. Rarely were results measured.

After 30+ years and 36 countries, here’s what the evidence actually shows:

The traditional model:

- Foreign team arrives for 1–2 weeks
- Operates on a small number of children
- Local team observes but doesn’t lead
- Team leaves, returns next year
- Same cycle. Zero capacity built.

What the outcomes tell us:

- No measurable improvement in local surgical capability
- No reduction in the backlog of children needing surgery
- Post-operative complications managed by untrained local staff
- Dependency on foreign visits that may or may not continue
- Massive cost per case when you factor in travel, logistics, and equipment shipped

Why capacity building is different:

The model we use at Global Cardiac Alliance is a fundamentally different approach — targeting the root cause, not the symptom.

✅ 3–7 year commitment to each site
✅ 3–6 trips per year with mentored education
✅ Local surgeons lead cases with guidance until independent
✅ Entire teams trained, nurses, perfusionists, ICU staff, anesthesiologists
✅ Exit strategy built in from day one

The result:

Programs that function independently. Children saved year-round, not just during visits. Local teams that train the next generation themselves.
This isn’t a criticism of good intentions.
It’s an upgrade in methodology.

This is how feel-good charity becomes evidence-based global health.

🔥 Link in bio to see the model that’s actually working.

02/13/2026

🫀 Most children who die from heart defects don’t die because the condition was untreatable.

They die because of timing.

1️⃣ After three decades operating on children’s hearts in 36 countries, I kept seeing the same pattern.
Children arriving too late. Families who had been to doctors. Babies who had been examined. And still , the heart defect was missed.

2️⃣ I kept asking why. Expecting the usual answers. Lack of equipment. Lack of funding. Remote villages.
None of them fully explained it. Until I noticed something disturbingly simple. The first 48 hours.

3️⃣ In most low- and middle-income countries, babies are discharged from hospital without one critical test.

A pulse oximetry screening.
It takes 2 minutes. It’s painless. It costs almost nothing.
And it catches heart defects that look completely invisible.

4️⃣ Without that screening, here’s what happens.
The baby goes home looking healthy.
Weeks pass. Feeding struggles begin. Breathing gets faster. Weight gain stalls.
Parents are told it’s normal.

5️⃣ By the time someone recognizes the signs, the heart has been compensating for months.
The window for an optimal surgical outcome is closing. Or closed.

6️⃣ In countries where we’ve built programs, we changed one thing first.
Not the surgical equipment.
Not the operating room.
The screening protocol.
Train nurses to perform pulse oximetry on every newborn before discharge.

7️⃣ The results were quiet, but undeniable.
Defects caught in days instead of months.
Surgeries planned instead of emergency.
Children arriving stronger, healthier, with better outcomes.

Early detection saves more lives than any surgery ever could.
If this matters to you, follow. Here, we speak for real. 🫀

02/13/2026

After six years of relentless dedication, sacrifice, and extraordinary challenges, including traveling to war zones and capturing countless stories of resilience we’ve brought our documentary, Tiny Hearts, to the brink of something extraordinary. Now, we have the opportunity to give this film the global platform it deserves.

As part of ❤️ Heart Month, we’re honored to make the documentary Tiny Hearts available to our community through E2AC+.

Tiny Hearts offers an intimate and deeply moving look into the high-stakes world of pediatric cardiac surgery through the lens of Dr. William Novick. The film captures the raw resilience of families in some of the world’s most underserved regions and the extraordinary dedication of the clinicians who care for them. By documenting Novick’s tireless work in the face of immense challenges, the film doesn’t just shine a light on congenital heart disease, it humanizes the global struggle for health equity and the courage required to mend the world’s most vulnerable hearts..

By streaming Tiny Hearts on E2AC+, you are supporting the broader mission of impact-driven storytelling, using film to raise awareness, spark conversation, and strengthen communities around critical health issues.

We invite you to watch, share with colleagues, friends, and loved ones, and help amplify these important stories during Heart Month.

We’re reaching out to you because Tiny Hearts is more than a documentary—it’s a movement. It shines a light on the groundbreaking work of Dr. William Novick and the Global Cardiac Alliance, a team that has been saving children’s lives in the most perilous corners of the world. The story encapsulates courage, hope, and the power of the human spirit.

Thank you for believing in us, in this story, and in the profound change it can inspire.

Dr. William Novick

P.S. If you’re part of a hospital, nonprofit, school, or community group and would like to host a future screening or conversation around Tiny Hearts, we’d love to hear from you!

HOW TO WATCH Tiny Hearts on E2AC+:
Availability: Starting at 8:00am ET on February 13
Window: Streaming access will close at 11:59pm ET on February 14.

Watch the film Watch the film online or on E2AC+ and donate todayAvailable for free on all devices starting on Friday, February 13th in honor of Heart Month.100% of donations made go to Global Cardiac Alliance (GCA). Donate to Global Cardiac Alliance TINY HEARTS, directed by Chris Dela Cruz, follows...

02/12/2026

🚨 1 in 100 babies are born with a heart defect. Most parents have no idea until it’s a crisis.

Here’s what nobody tells new parents:

There’s No Obvious Sign → Many critical heart defects produce zero symptoms at birth. The baby looks pink, cries normally, and passes basic checks. Inside, the heart is working overtime to compensate.

Feeding Is the First Clue → If your baby takes unusually long to feed, sweats through feedings, or stops frequently to catch their breath — that’s not a fussy eater. That’s a heart struggling to keep up.

Breathing Tells the Truth → Count your baby’s breaths at rest. More than 60 per minute is a red flag. Fast breathing at rest is your child’s body screaming for help before anything else shows.

Weight Gain Slows → When a heart defect goes undetected, the baby burns excessive calories just to survive. Slow weight gain isn’t always “just a small baby.” It could be the only visible sign something is wrong.

Pulse Oximetry Can Catch What Eyes Can’t → This simple, painless test measures oxygen in your baby’s blood. It takes 2 minutes and can detect defects invisible to the naked eye. Ask for it before you leave the hospital.

After 30+ years operating on children’s hearts in 36 countries, I’ve seen too many families arrive in my operating room in crisis when a simple screening could have changed everything.

Early detection is the difference between a planned surgery and an emergency. Know the signs.

🔥 Link in bio for more life-saving heart health information every parent needs.