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Charlotte, NC - Twenty-one-year-old Rusana Smallwood from Jamaica received an early wedding present from heart surgeon, Scott Andrews, M.D., of Hawthorne Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons in Charlotte. "Rusana can now live a normal, active life," said Andrews.

Rusana's physician in Jamaica had been searching for over a year and a half to find a surgeon in the United States who could perform delicate surgery to repair her mitral valve, affected by a condition called mitral regurgitation, and do it pro bono. "I was happy to do it and I know other surgeons who would have done the same thing," Andrews said. "The radiologist, anesthesiologist, surgical nurses, my office staff and Presbyterian Hospital all stepped up and donated their time and services to help Rusana."

Mitral regurgitation is a condition in which your mitral valve doesn't close tightly and may cause blood to flow backward in your heart. For some, this may never pose a serious health threat. However, Rusana's case was more severe and could have potentially caused congestive heart failure or heart arrhythmias if left untreated.

The Jamaican physician got lucky. One day, Andrews' colleague, Clifford Hastings, M.D., was on a web site where surgeons discuss cases with one another and he began reviewing Rusana's case with her Jamaican doctor.

Hastings knew Andrews could repair Rusana's defective mitral valve using the da Vinci robotic surgical system. The da Vinci system, used for atrial septal defect repair, mitral valve repair and prostate removal surgery at Presbyterian, is a less invasive treatment, allowing patients a shorter, less painful recovery time. The robot provides surgeons with a highly magnified, 3-D visualization of a patient's interior.

Only a few local surgeons are trained to use this innovative surgical system and Andrews is one.

Rusana happened to be a perfect candidate for the da Vinci system, so surgery was scheduled for May 17. The procedure took five hours with no complications. After being discharged from the hospital on May 23, Rusana, along with her Aunt, were provided lodging at Hospitality House, which offers housing to patients and family members while receiving medical treatment at Charlotte-area hospitals.

"There are so many things I want to accomplish in my life and now I can, thanks to the kind people here," said Smallwood. "Dr. Andrews and the entire medical staff at Presbyterian Hospital were so helpful and nice." Before leaving on her return flight to Jamaica on May 31, Rusana said, "I am so happy. I am getting married in Jamaica next month, something I thought I could never do."