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For Aldo Rafael, MD, the call to heal extends far beyond the walls of Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas (BHVH). The highly skilled cardiac surgeon helps his patients heal and get back to their lives. His passion also takes him on twice-a- year journeys to his native Peru, where he provides care to underserved communities through the Salvando Corazones (Saving Hearts) medical missions.
In this Article
For Aldo Rafael, MD, the call to heal extends far beyond the walls of Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas (BHVH). The highly skilled cardiac surgeon helps his patients heal and get back to their lives. His passion also takes him on twice-a- year journeys to his native Peru, where he provides care to underserved communities through the Salvando Corazones (Saving Hearts) medical missions.
In May 2024, Dr. Rafael completed the 14th mission, during which he and his team cared for 25 patients, many of whom waited months to be seen and could not afford care. The team provided life-changing valve replacement surgeries, an aortic arch replacement and a coronary aneurysm repair for patients ranging in age from 21 to 78.
These medical missions are funded in part through Baylor Scott & White Faith in Action Initiatives, which supports team members going on international humanitarian aid trips and medical missions all over the world.
“Baylor Scott & White has been very supportive of my work in Peru,” Dr. Rafael said. “These surgeries help patients improve their quality of life and provide a long-term solution to their health problems. Excitedly, many of the procedures were done with a minimally invasive approach, which are common in the U.S. but less so in Peru.”
Since leading the first Salvando Corazones mission in 2014, Dr. Rafael has expanded the program to happen twice a year. The mission team includes other physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, residents, medical students and support staff. The Fred Roach International Missions Scholarship Fund, funded annually through the Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation’s Give to Change employee giving campaign, helps cover the travel costs.
“In 2023, we were able to award 11 scholarships to the team that went with Dr. Rafael to Peru,” said Matthew Hoffman, director of Faith in Action Initiatives. “We were also able to donate thousands of dollars’ worth of cardiac and surgical supplies through our Second Life Resource Centers in Dallas and Waco.”
With the poverty rate higher than 50 percent in some areas, Peruvians are willing to travel more than 24 hours and wait for several months to have the free-of-charge heart surgeries provided by Dr. Rafael and his team.
Olivia Jaklic, a perfusionist at BHVH, has participated in 10 Salvando Corazones missions, which sees patients at Dos de Mayo hospital, a major referral center in Peru. “There are over 1,000 patients on the waitlist to see us,” Olivia said. “The patients and their families are incredibly appreciative of our help. One patient had waited three months with an aortic dissection. In the U.S., this is considered an emergency surgery as soon as it’s diagnosed.”
Full-circle journey
Dr. Rafael’s missions bring his life full circle. He’s able to provide his expertise in the country where he was born, raised, educated and trained. Excelling in school, he graduated top of his class in medical school in Peru. After many attempts, he secured a visa and completed an advanced cardiac surgery and heart/lung transplant fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. When his training was complete, a colleague encouraged him to move to Dallas and join him at Baylor University Medical Center in 2012.
In 2014, with the support of BSW Faith in Action Initiatives, Dr. Rafael completed the first mission to Peru. Over the years, he and his team have organized 14 missions and performed more than 170 heart surgeries. His work has introduced advanced techniques to Peruvian surgeons, enhancing their capacity to care for patients. In November, Dr. Rafael will lead the 15th mission to Peru.
“Because of Dr. Rafael and the many BSW staff members who accompany him, we collectively as a healthcare system are truly living out our value of We make an impact all over the world,” Matthew said.
