When cardiothoracic surgeon Mark Turrentine, MD, arrives in Amman, Jordan, families cross the desert on foot for a chance to place their children under his care. As last November marked his 43rd trip to the region, Turrentine continues to return because of the impact he leaves on these children, who otherwise would be without life-saving treatment.
“A father spent two years crossing the desert in search of safety,” said Turrentine. “He ended up in a Syrian refugee camp and eventually made it to us with his young son, who had a ventricular septal defect. I’ll never forget his determination as he walked the entire way, carrying his son in his arms.”
“He made it to Jordan, and in the end, everything worked out.”
For nearly two decades, Turrentine has quietly built a lifeline for children born with complex heart conditions in regions where advanced surgical care is out of reach. What began as a vision to extend care beyond the United States has grown into an internationally respected surgical mission that continues to deliver lifesaving treatment, offering hope to families across the Middle East and other conflict-affected regions of the world.
“There is nothing that connects you more deeply to the nobility of medicine than serving others with no expectation of reward beyond the goodwill that comes from helping those in need,” said Turrentine. “We go together as the Riley congenital heart team, and we work side by side to experience what global medicine truly looks like. They see what it means to provide care without the prospect of being paid or rewarded.”
Collaborations with Gift of Life Amman and Chain of Hope created the infrastructure and support necessary to sustain Turrentine and his team’s ongoing surgical missions. Since his first trip in 2007, Turrentine has returned to Jordan annually — oftentimes multiple times a year — completing over 40 trips and providing care to more than 650 children in total.
Today, the team travels to Jordan roughly once per quarter, operating for several consecutive days each visit. Patients come from Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Yemen and beyond, often after years of waiting, displacement and hardship. Many families arrive with no alternatives left.
“There are children we schedule who don’t survive long enough to reach surgery,” Turrentine said. “So when a family finally gets that opportunity, they understand what it means.”
Turrentine’s most recent trip to Jordan was especially meaningful as he was joined for the first time by Karl Bilimoria, MD, MS, chair of the Department of Surgery. While Bilimoria knew of Turrentine’s international work, seeing it firsthand was an impactful experience.
“I was compelled to understand the work he was doing and to support a department faculty member who is doing something so special,” Bilimoria said. “You can’t fully grasp the impact until you’re there.”
During the trip, Bilimoria did not just observe; he scrubbed in alongside Turrentine in the operating room as his assistant.
“I felt like a trainee again,” Bilimoria, a surgical oncologist, said. “Watching a master surgeon work at that level and in that environment was exhilarating.”
Bilimoria’s trip to Jordan reminded him of the privilege physicians carry to use their abilities beyond everyday practice.
“We have a responsibility to use our skills and knowledge to help as many people as possible,” said Bilimoria. “This type of international work is deeply meaningful to me, both professionally and personally. Even weeks after returning home, I am still energized by the opportunity to contribute to Dr. Turrentine’s mission.”
For Turrentine, these trips reconnect him to the purpose of medicine.
“There’s nothing that makes you feel more connected to patients and a community than doing something purely for others,” Turrentine said. “Our team gives up their personal time to be there. It’s transformative.”
