HJNO Jan/Feb 2026

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS  I  JAN / FEB 2026 51 Ernesto Mejia, MD Congenital Interventional Cardiology Manning Family Children’s “And for the doctors and nurses who cared for us so kindly. This opportunity was a blessing.” From a World Away, Gratitude and Hope Now back home in Mongolia, Belgutei has a healthy childhood ahead of him and no scar from the procedure. His ASD is completely closed and his heart is normal. Thanks to the good work of Samaritan’s Purse and HeartGift Louisiana more than 100 children have received lifesaving and life-changing heart care at Manning Fam- ily Children’s. It’s incredible to see how something so small — just a few minutes in the cath lab — can give a child their future. “I hope many more children can be helped by Samaritan’s Purse, HeartGift, and the doctors here,” Ninjee said. “I’ll raise Belgu- tei to be a good person, to live with kind- ness.” n ErnestoMejia,MD, is a board-certified pediatric inter- ventional cardiologist at Manning Family Children’s and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from theAmerican University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten and completed pediatric residency at State University of NewYork in Brooklyn. Mejia completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology withWestern Reserve Univer- sity and Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland and then an advanced fellowship in pedi- atric interventional cardiology with the University of Colorado at Children’s Hospital of Colorado inAurora. 2025, accompanied by his mother, Ninjee, and their interpreter. A Less Invasive Path to Healing Belgutei’s hole measured 15 millimeters. It was as big or bigger than his main aorta — large for a child his size. But even with this large ASD, an evaluation at Manning Family Children’s determined that he was an excellent candidate for a catheter-based procedure. Traditionally, ASD repair required open- heart surgery, which involves opening the chest and placing the patient on a heart- lung machine. Advances in interventional cardiology now allow many ASDs to be closed in a catheterization lab, or “cath lab,” using a small device inserted through a vein in the groin. A catheter-based pro- cedure involves minimal downtime and far less discomfort than open-heart surgery. Belgutei underwent the procedure in the cardiac catheterization lab on October 6, 2025. Without opening his chest or putting him on bypass, the medical team closed Belgutei’s ASD in 24 minutes. After staying one night for observation, he returned to his host family’s house. Belgutei, his moth- er, and their interpreter remained in Louisi- ana for a month while he healed. Their host family, who had met them at the airport, supported them every step of the way. “I’m so grateful for them,” Ninjee said. Hope for Pediatric Heart Patients Through online research, Belgutei’s family found Samaritan’s Purse, a human- itarian aid organization that, among other forms of aid, works closely with healthcare organizations like HeartGift, which con- nects families around the world to hos- pitals in the U.S. and elsewhere willing to provide lifesaving cardiac procedures. HeartGift Louisiana partners with Man- ning Family Children’s to connect children who are accepted into the program to the lifesaving care they need. In July 2023, when Belgutei was nearly a year old, a group of American physicians evaluated him in Mongolia. Nearly two years later, in May 2025, Belgutei’s family received the news they had been praying for: Samar- itan’s Purse and HeartGift Louisiana had arranged for Belgutei’s surgery at Manning Family Children’s in New Orleans. Samaritan’s Purse handled the family’s visas, travel, and interpreter who traveled with the family, while HeartGift coordinat- ed the medical partnership with the hospi- tal and found a local host family to support them during their stay until Belgutei was healthy enough to return home. The family’s journey from Mongolia to Louisiana took nearly 30 hours and sever- al flights — from Ulaanbaatar to South Ko- rea, then Atlanta, and finally New Orleans. Belgutei, now 3, arrived on September 29,