More than two decades after an American surgeon repaired his failing heart, an Ethiopian man is helping that same doctor provide heart surgery in the country where he once struggled to survive.
Mesfin Yana Dollar was a teenager when rheumatic heart disease left him severely short of breath. Growing up in rural Ethiopia, he became so weak that walking even a short distance was difficult. He eventually traveled to Addis Ababa, where physician Rick Hodes found him critically ill at a Missionaries of Charity facility.
With help from Hodes and an Atlanta nonprofit, Mesfin traveled to the United States for treatment unavailable in Ethiopia at the time. Cardiothoracic surgeon Jim Kauten repaired his damaged mitral valve in Atlanta on Oct. 1, 2001.
Mesfin recovered and returned to Ethiopia, but an infection developed after his wisdom teeth had been removed. It spread to his heart, causing endocarditis. He was flown back to Atlanta for emergency surgery, where doctors replaced the damaged valve with a mechanical one.
The replacement required lifelong blood-thinning medication and regular monitoring. Because that care was difficult to access near his village, cardiologist Allen Dollar and his family took Mesfin into their home.
He completed his education in the United States, worked as a respiratory therapist and trained as a cardiac perfusionist. Now a senior perfusionist at Mayo Clinic, Mesfin operates equipment that supports blood circulation and breathing during complex surgeries.
Reflecting on his journey, Dollar said,
“He retains this spirit of gratitude. He has never lost sight of what his life could have been and all the people along the way.”
His path eventually brought him back beside Kauten. Through Heart Attack Ethiopia, the two have joined cardiac missions that provide procedures and develop local medical expertise. The nonprofit identifies Mesfin as its director of adult cardiovascular perfusion and Kauten as a leader of its cardiac training program.
