An old adage says sincerity knows no bounds.

This First Gentleman Mike Arroyo proved, quietly, in his pursuit of his vow to help the poor and the sick in his own little way.

Even at the expense of pomp and merrymaking which would have been irreplaceable to others of his stature and standing in society.

Instead of celebrating his birthday this year 2008, the First Gentleman opted to sponsor heart surgeries to 10 cardio ward patients at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

All expenses for the project, dubbed Bagong Puso Mula Sa Puso, were paid for by donations from the private sector to the First Gentleman Foundation Inc. (FGFI).

As of this writing, six of the beneficiaries have successfully undergone heart surgeries. Another four beneficiaries are scheduled for surgery at the soonest possible time.

The six beneficiaries and the surgeries performed include:

Michelle Salanga, 14, Tandang Sora, Quezon City, closure of atrial septal defect; Janna Macaraeg, 4, from Lipa City, Batangas, closure of ventricular septal defect; Rangell Moog, 29, from Calamba, Laguna, closure of atrial septal defect and correction of partialanomalous pulmonary vein return (Warden Procedure); Damian Sian, 2, from Pavia, Iloilo, total correction of Telralogy of Fallot (Pink Fallot); Conrado Tubog, 39, from Calamba, Laguna, double valve (mitral and aortic) replacement and Maribel Ramos, 33, from Ilocos Norte, single (mitral) valve replacement.

PGH Coordinator for FGFI projects Dr. Rodney Dofitas said “all the six beneficiaries are doing well postoperatively and are now being cared for as outpatients.”

Under the Bagong Puso Mula Sa Puso project, aside from the free open heart surgeries, post-operative care will be provided by PGH in cooperation with PGH’s departments of nursing, medicine, surgery, anesthesiology and pediatrics.

The surgeons who performed the open heart surgeries were: Dr. Adrian Manapat (OIC Bagong Puso Project), Dr. Dennis Hernandez, Dr. Eduardo Buatista, Dr. Gisel Catalan, Dr. Richard Nicolas, Dr. Lorena Rodriguez and Dr. Hazel Turinga IV.

All-out support was provided to the surgeons by the following units at PGH: Department of Surgery, Department of Anesthesiology, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Medicine and the Department of Nursing.