Costa Rican Family Celebrates First Thanksgiving

Pediatric heart surgeon Tom Karl, MD, MS, checks up on his patient, 6-month-old Valentina Guzman, diagnosed with a very complicated cardiac condition and originally given two years to live. Valentina's parents brought her from Costa Rica to UCSF Children's Hospital, which donated much of the time, expertise and equipment so the Guzmans could afford the surgery. "I think this baby now has a reasonably good long-term outlook which wouldn't have been possible without this type of surgery," said Karl, who is professor and chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery in the UCSF Department of Surgery. Note: The story about Valentina Guzman and Dr. Karl is the second feature on the linked KPIX clip about families celebrating their first Thanksgiving in the US. Related Links: Costa Rican Family Celebrates First Thanksgiving KPIX-TV (CBS), November 25, 2006