Tot Flies From Greece To Denver For Surgery

DENVER -- Two doctors from Greece flew to Denver this week to have their 1-year-old daughter's lung repaired.

The physicians say they searched the world for the right doctor and finally found one in Colorado.

Eleni Baraboutis was taking a nap when we caught up with her lying in a hospital crib.

Who can blame the toddler for being exhausted? It's been a busy month.

Baraboutis and her parents traveled to Denver from Athens -- first for her aunt's wedding and then for Baraboutis' surgery.

The tot and her parents traveled some 6,000 miles for the minimally invasive technique aimed at fixing a lung deformity Eleni has had since birth. Her parents said it was detected during a fetal ultrasound but said it didn't effect her first year, though the potential for later complications was high.

Her father, Giannis, said if the lung wasn't fixed she could have developed cancer or serious lung infections but they didn't want to have open surgery done because that would have required a large chest incision and scars later.

"The purpose of the surgery was preventitive. The baby had nothing. The purpose of the surgery was to prevent something in the future because this thing, if we leave it there, could turn into cancer or create infections," said Giannis Baraboutis.

Dr. Steven Rothenberg said the technique he specialized in required only three small incisions. He used a special scope and camera to remove a portion of Eleni's lung.

One day after the surgery Eleni was tired but "back to herself," according to her parents.

She was discharged from the hospital Thursday afternoon -- just one day after the procedure. After a week in Denver she will return home to Athens.