Hearts of Courage

February 11, 2013 World Premiere! Hearts of Courage, a film by Michael Fasciano

In 2012, Michael Fasciano returned to Rwanda to follow Team Heart  for his second Rwanda based film, showing the team delivering care to young teens and adults with critical rheumatic heart disease. Following patients and medical team, he captures the emotion of the team as they struggle with patient selection, (to ensure fairness and an ethical solution for the critically ill who have no other chance).  The film shows the patients as they recover rapidly and rejoin life and their community moving from critically ill to hope for the future. 

Many of the patients included will capture your heart, but Michael follows  one of the handful of past patients who serve as  team volunteers. They serve  as  interpreters for the team by communicating to the patients and families when needed and coordinate transportation.  

Following the team as they visit the rural village former patient, Erneste Simpunga calls his home to meet his parents and relatives. Erneste is followed  through the process of applying and being accepted to  to medical school in Rwanda which helps to illustrate the benefit of good surgical outcomes and good health post-operatively.  The return to a normal life, to be able to help support family and self  with the dream to someday give back himself to help others is a theme through out. 

It is clear the wish for good health and return to normal life for their patients is one  motive for this medical team  as the patients one by one rejoin life in good health.

 It takes a very special team to travel around the world and donate vacation time, several for the 5th consecutive year to provide the best care possible in  this setting. 

Open your heart!