From Dubai to Los Angeles: A Second Chance at Life

At 30 years old, Suhail Alblooshi was running out of time. His legs were badly swollen, fluid had built up in his lungs, and even the smallest movement left him struggling to breathe. “My legs were all swollen. I felt so tired. I couldn’t catch my breath,” he recalls. His mother, Fatima Hussain, remembers those difficult months just as clearly. “Our life was in the car,” she says. “We were always going back and forth to the hospital. He had so much liquid in his lungs, sometimes driving would make him a little drowsy. It was the only way to get him to sleep.”

A journey across continents

After months of testing in Dubai, doctors diagnosed Suhail with advanced heart disease. His heart was functioning at only 13% to 15% of its normal capacity. Despite multiple medications, his condition continued to worsen. Doctors determined he urgently needed both a heart and kidney transplant.

In 2022, the UAE’s Department of Health referred Suhail to Cedars-Sinai International, which coordinates care for more than 2,000 international patients from over 100 countries each year. Suhail arrived in Los Angeles in September 2022 with his mother and cousin. The Cedars-Sinai International team coordinated every aspect of the family’s journey and remained available throughout
his treatment.

“We do everything we can to make sure our international patients feel supported and comfortable throughout their care journey,” says Wafik Gobrial, Patient Services Manager at Cedars-Sinai International.

Fighting for his life

Doctors diagnosed Suhail with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, a condition that weakens the heart muscle. “That means a virus or a genetic factor has made his heart weak, and it was not pumping enough blood to keep up with his body’s needs,” explains Andriana Nikolova, MD, PhD, a Cedars-Sinai cardiologist.

Only weeks after arriving, Suhail’s condition became critical. In October, he suffered cardiac arrest. Although the emergency team revived him, his heart stopped again just hours later, and he experienced seizures. He was placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which temporarily took over the work of his heart and lungs. After his kidneys failed, he also required dialysis. For four months, from October 2022 through February 2023, Suhail remained in the intensive care unit, supported by life-sustaining machines.

“More than once, we thought we were going to lose him,” says Farzin Samadi, MD, his primary care physician at Cedars-Sinai, who worked closely with the transplant team to help him qualify for surgery.

A rare double transplant

On February 20, 2023, Suhail was added to the transplant waiting list for both a heart and kidney. Just days later, a donor match became available. The donor organs were flown to Cedars-Sinai by helicopter through heavy rain, and Suhail was taken directly to the operating room. During an operation lasting more than eight hours, a multidisciplinary team transplanted his new heart before replacing one of his kidneys.

The surgery carried significant risks. “Any open-chest procedure carries risks. In Suhail’s case, it was even more dangerous. But we never gave up,” says Dr. Nikolova. Following surgery, physicians carefully balanced immunosuppressive medications to prevent organ rejection while monitoring closely for infection. The combined effects of his heart disease, cardiac arrests and seizures had also damaged nerves in his spinal cord, leaving him partially paralyzed below the waist and affecting his speech.

Recovery and a new beginning

Step by step, Suhail began to recover. He transferred to the California Rehabilitation Institute, where he underwent intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy. Throughout his rehabilitation, the Cedars-Sinai International team remained closely connected with Suhail and his family.

By December 2023, he returned to Dubai able to stand, take a few assisted steps, and move independently in a wheelchair. His speech had also improved significantly. “When I came home, it felt like I was seeing it all for the first time. Like I was in a new life… and a new world,” he says.

His mother witnessed the transformation. “I didn’t expect to have Suhail back and even better than he was,” she says. “Thanks to the hospital and doctors for giving Suhail a second chance at life.”

Care beyond borders

Cedars-Sinai International helps patients from around the world access specialized care that may not be available in their home countries.

In 2024, Cedars-Sinai received Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) for Medical Travel Services for the second time, recognizing its commitment to safe, world-class and culturally responsive care. International patients are supported by multilingual care teams, interpreters, dedicated patient coordinators, dietary and spiritual services, and the Cedars-Sinai International Lounge, providing patients and their families with comfort throughout their stay.

Setting new milestones in transplantation

In 2024, the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center and the Smidt Heart Institute performed 682 solid organ transplants, the highest number in the organization’s history, while patient survival outcomes continued to meet or exceed the national average.

Cedars-Sinai is also among the top 10 transplant centers in the United States by transplant volume and is recognized for treating highly complex, high-risk cases.

“Behind every transplant is a patient who desperately waited for a chance at life,” says Irene Kim, MD, Director of the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center. “It is the remarkable generosity of organ donors and their families that allowed our transplant teams to give 682 patients the chance to have longer and healthier lives.”

Learn more: cedars-sinai.info/patient-story/#home

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