Here’s a story that will restore your faith in humanity: a teenager hailing from the Philippines has been flown to Sudan to receive life-saving heart surgery.

17 year-old Reynaldo Nilo suffers from rheumatic heart disease as a result of not taking antibiotics when he had strep throat as a child. The teen was diagnosed at 15, and has since had to drop out of school because of his condition. As the son of impoverished farmers, he was unable to afford medical treatment, leaving him incredibly vulnerable. Fortunately, Reynaldo’s sister took matters into her own hands.

In an effort to help her brother, Sarah Joy searched the Internet for ways to make him more comfortable, since he couldn’t afford treatment.

“We were always worried for him. I was scared he would succumb [to the disease], but I steeled myself, determined to show him that we were not giving up,” she said.

Then, as luck would have it, Sarah Joy came across the Oscar- nominated documentary Open Heart, which tells the story of how a charity-run hospital in Sudan helped eight Rwandan children with the same disease. The Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery, run by Italian charity “Emergency,” is the only free hospital in Africa that specializes in complex heart operations. Set up by doctors in 1994, the hospital serves victims of war, landmines and poverty.

Reynaldo’s sister searched through the credits and tracked down a producer. That producer then put her in contact with Emergency, which agreed to help Reynaldo and pay for the medication he will need for the duration of his life. Sweetening the deal even more, Turkish Airlines got involved, agreeing to cover the cost of his flights.

Without open heart surgery, it’s very likely Reynaldo would have only lived a few more years- most people who suffer from rheumatic heart disease don’t live past 20, according to Emergency. However, thanks to the generosity and determination of several people (not to mention the bravery of this young teen) Reynaldo’s future looks promising.

What’s also incredible, though, is the hospital’s location- Sudan isn’t exactly the first place you think of when you think of world-class health care (just today there was news that tens of thousands of people are fleeing conflict-torn Darfur as violent attacks are increasing). However, by building a state-of-the-art hospital (which just happens to be renowned for its cardiac surgery) Emergency is demonstrating the impact that development can have.

While the Center is run and managed by Emergency international staff, the Center is also committed to training local staff so that it can one day be autonomous and independent. In this way, the Center is not only investing in the health of Africans generally (who make up the vast majority of the Center’s patients), but also investing in the local economy, and its people.

But back to Reynaldo. With his sister by his side, he expressed his gratitude towards Emergency as he boarded his plane to Khartoum, Sudan: “I am extremely grateful to them for giving me the chance to have a longer life.”

Echoing that statement, Saray Joy said, “We are just so happy that this foundation agreed to help us. We were afraid we would lose him.”

What a lucky guy to have so many people in his corner. Sending good thoughts to Reynaldo and his family as he undergoes surgery and recovery!