NEW YORK CITY, NY (December 8, 2009)-- New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka visited The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) Dec. 8 to cheer Ugandan patient Samuel Tebawesa, who had open-heart surgery last week.

The 12-year-old Ugandan child was sponsored for surgery by Gift of Life International (GOLI). Kiwanuka, who is of Ugandan background, also brought toys for children at the hospital under the Holiday Toy Drive of the National Coalition of Ethnic Organizations (NECO). NECO helped fund Samuel's surgery and sponsored the toy drive.  

Samuel Weinstein, MD, Director of Pediatric Heart Surgery at CHAM, performed Samuel's surgery and Rajesh Shenoy, MD, is the pediatric cardiologist who treated him. Samuel was discharged from CHAM after the visit.

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