SUE ALO BELA SEL iA Te ert A Ae Ue 8 2 © let SE CRLE EETS FDIS TIRING BSE MAREE EE, STEER MPN IE, VIR EN ela ES a) HELE Edatne yt ana Ki cae T OR ete pak "eM A Rio pyre, OPS SA Renae som ce mcrs gue oy samen gue Ue eat 2A pees ee renee per tn aoe ANI ne nee gy Os gs oA a pee Your Number One | Suburban Newspaper VRE VOICE OF MORTH A! EST VANCGUVER Weegee, 4 "aes es) NEWS photo Terry Peters RAISING HER ARMS to the glory of victory, Grade 12 Hillside student Alice Woolley finishes first in the Senior Girls’ 1,500 metre race. Competing in the 27th annual North Shore Secondary Schools Track and Field Mect held Thursday at Swanguard Stadium, Woolley won ber race with a time of 5:03:24. Four- ‘een schools competed in the meet and 14 track and field records were set,including two that had stood . for 25 years. | Fashion plays symphony | PAGE 13 - BR UNIE oe CE SE Parking jam up: 3 Fitness 1 for the disabled j. PAGE 29 2nd bout of heart surgery a success COMPLICATIONS arising from Rebecca Zak’s first heart operation resulted in more surgery for the seven-morith-old North Vancouver girl. Nicknamed the ‘‘miracle baby”’ by doctors, Rebecca underwent a second heart operation Tuesday at Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital. ‘*Her heart took a real beating,” said her father, Jeff. ‘‘But she’s a pretty tough fighter — she’s holding her own.’’ Zak said he was told by doctors that his daughter’s first operation, lasting 15 hours, was one of the longest heart operations on record for a child her age. COMPLICATED SURGERY Rebecca’s congenital heart con- dition required complicated surgery to untwist her main heart arteries. - The second operation, done a week later and lasting about five — hours, was needed to repair an obstructed right ventricle that pumps blood to the lungs. Zak explained that Rebecca’s heart muscle was twisted, the wrong ventricle was pumping blood to the body. When it ‘was untwisted, he said, it had become accustomed to pumping strongly, and pumped more than - what was needed for the Jungs. HIGH RISKS “The person who runs the heart lung machine said if she survives this (the second operation) she could be put in the medical jour- nal,” Zak said. “On the second operation the top surgeon said he didn’t want to take her into the operating room at all because the risks were so high, but she came through,”’ he said. Zak said after Rebecca’s first operation doctors realized that a hole in Rebeeca’s heart, that should have repaired itself, was considerably larger than what they had thought. “That was a surprise,’” said Zak. “It was one reason why the first operation wasn’t working so well.” Zak said he and his wife Marilyn have been at Rebecca’s bedside, usually arriving at the hospital by 6:30 a.m, and staying until 1! p.m. because | IM PEMBrRTON News Reporter REBECCA ZAK...described by doctors as the miracle baby sur- vives second heart operation, He said Rebecca is being main- tained in an unconscious state because if conserves her energy, and. she has been unconscious for the past eight days. CONSERVE ENERGY “We stay by her just talking to her and touching her, to’ tet her know we’re here,’’ said Zak. Interviewed Thursday, Zak said if Rebecca continues to show signs of recovery, she will be allowed to regain consciousness Sunday. “She went through the second operation quite well and seems to be better than what she was,"’ he said. “Before she was on full support, but they’ve been able to cut back on her medication. She only needs one heart drug now.”’ Zak said he and his wife have been encouraged by the support others have shown Rebecca, and they are especially appreciative of people willing to pray for their on- ly child’s recovery.