At Gate 14 inside Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a 3-year-old girl from Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, exited a Continental Airlines jet the evening of May 9, and unbeknownst to her, entered history.

Yorlene Valezka Martinez Centeno was accompanied by her mother, Maria, on a trip to Austin to undergo life-saving and ultimately successful heart surgery on May 20 at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas.

Yorlene lives with her mother, sister and grandmother, while her father works six months of the year in neighboring Costa Rica. Wearing a pink shirt, blue jeans, a jean jacket with colorful embroidery and a fairly blank expression, Yorlene seemed hesitant and reserved, and she appeared a bit frail.

Yorlene’s nervousness was understandable. She happened to be the 100th patient helped by the Austin-based HeartGift Foundation, the luck of the draw for a lucky young lady. Austin philanthropist Mort Topfer, a longtime supporter of HeartGift, sponsored Yorlene’s surgery.

“Improvement of our health care system has been an issue close to my heart for many years,” Topfer said. “Sponsoring Yorlene’s surgery offers an opportunity to extend the life of a young child and to be part of HeartGift’s mission of saving the lives of children from around the world.”

Since 2000, the HeartGift Foundation has offered free heart surgery to children like Yorlene from 20 developing countries, such as China, Haiti, Kenya and Syria, who are in critical need of treatment. Doctors and other health care professionals donate their time and services. HeartGift supporters contribute frequent-flier miles, clothing, cash and much more and even serve as host families for patients and their relatives. For example, a family in Elgin opened their home to Yorlene and her mother for several weeks.

The inspiration for HeartGift was born in 1998. That year, five children from Kosovo traveled to Austin hoping their hearts would be mended. All five surgeries succeeded.

A year later, three friends – Dr. John “Chip” Oswalt, Ray Wilkerson and Jim Hoover – planted the seeds for HeartGift. In June 2000, the HeartGift Foundation was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization. The first HeartGift patient, Vicky Salinas Dominguez of Honduras, underwent successful surgery in Austin in October 2000. Oswalt is a cardiothoracic surgeon with Austin’s Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons and co-founder and chairman of HeartGift.

“When the HeartGift Foundation was incorporated 10 years ago, it was hard to envision that we would be saving the lives of 100 children with heart problems,” Oswalt said.

“Each of those individual children should have their story told at least a hundred times. As the years pass, we will reach more milestones, enlist many more volunteers and save many more children, one gift at a time.”

The experience with the Kosovo patients sparked Dr. Steven Metcalf’s interest in HeartGift. Metcalf is director of pediatric cardiac anesthesiology for Austin’s Capitol Anesthesiology Association.

“These kids made a significant impression upon me,” said Metcalf, whose medical practice helped provide care for those children at no cost. Three years later, Oswalt invited Metcalf to join HeartGift’s Board of Directors – an invitation he accepted.

“Being involved in HeartGift has provided me with a venue to give back – to make a significant positive impact on a child who would otherwise not have that opportunity,” Metcalf said.

“When asked why someone goes into the practice of medicine, the answer often is, ‘to help people.’ This opportunity takes that message to a much more significant level.”

During his time volunteering for HeartGift, Metcalf has seen all sorts of patients. Metcalf has helped children so poor that they’ve never had running water or seen a light switch. He helped a boy from a Tibetan monastery who didn’t understand English, but according to Metcalf, “had the composure and calm of someone with an understanding of something much deeper.”

While recovering from surgery to repair a condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot, which is a congenital heart disease that comprises four defects, Yorlene and her mother were the guests of honor June 1 at the Round Rock Express game against the Iowa Cubs. Oswalt threw the first pitch.

“We were thrilled to have Yorlene and her mother as our special guests at The Dell Diamond,” said Reese Ryan, a HeartGift Foundation board member, Angel sponsor and co-owner and chief financial officer of the Round Rock Express.

“It is amazing to be involved in such a worthwhile organization comprising physicians willing to donate their time and talents to help these deserving kids. This is by far the most rewarding thing of which my wife, Alison, and I have been blessed to be a part. We look forward to seeing the remarkable improvement in Yorlene after her surgery.”

Yorlene’s surgery and all other operations for HeartGift children are free to the patients and their families. In 2009, patients who underwent HeartGift surgeries received free medical care averaging $136,000 per child. HeartGift received more than $2 million worth of donated medical services last year, and more than 300 volunteers gave nearly 14,400 hours to HeartGift.

HeartGift has expanded its reach to save the lives of even more children. The organization added chapters in Houston and New Orleans in 2009, with chapters already in place in Austin and San Antonio. Plans are being made to launch a Dallas chapter in 2010. That kind of geographic reach wasn’t foreseen 10 years ago.

For his part, Metcalf intends to give many more hours of his time to HeartGift. “I hope that I will be involved with the 300th patient,” Metcalf said, “as I am sure HeartGift is here for the long run.” For more information regarding HeartGift, visit www.heartgift.org.