Noa Onaga, one-year-old girl who suffers from severe dilated cardiomyopathy, left Kansai Airport to New York on Jan. 19th with her parents onboard a medical jet for a heart transplant surgery in the U.S., where Noa will wait for a donor at Columbia University Hospital.

Noa’s trip to the U.S. and the surgery there was made possible by donations from people on Okinawa and elsewhere who participated to “Save Noa” fundraising campaign that raised some ¥320 million to cover the cost of the heart transplant and associated expenses.

According to Operation Save Noa officials, Noa’s surgery is expected take place in about one to three months based on past similar cases.

Before the departure, Noa’s father, Tsukasa Onaga, talked to the media. “We are able to go to the United States, thanks to the support of people on Okinawa and elsewhere. Seeing healthy Noa will be the best repayment for everyone involved in this effort,” Onaga said.

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