No one in Patrick Kahuma's village in a remote part of Uganda was able to see it, but UNC Health Care is hoping the rest of the world watched for regular "tweets," or updates on Kahuma's heart procedure Monday.

The 18-year-old arrived in North Carolina one week ago in preparation for a procedure to correct a heart defect he has had since birth. And while he looks like a typical teenager, Kahuma's life has been severely limited by his health problem. He has been unable to attend school since second grade because the walk is too tiring for him, and he is not able to help with regular household chores, like carrying water. Doctors are optimistic the procedure will enable him to live a more normal life.

UNC posted photos and updates on Twitter throughout the two-hour-long procedure. Doctors used a balloon catheter to open a narrowed valve in Kahuma's heart. They also repaired a hole in the upper chamber of his heart that was discovered during a diagnostic evaluation earlier this year. Both are routine procedures among babies in the U.S., but Kahuma's age made it more complicated.

"Because he's lived with it for so long, the muscle on the right side of his heart was overdeveloped and at risk for spasm after the procedure, which could have caused some instability," said Dr. Elman Frantz, director of N.C. Children's Heart Center. "But he didn't really have any of those complications."

Patrick was awake, but groggy, and able to talk with his doctors and family within a short time after the procedure. His aunt, who accompanied him on the trip, stayed by his bedside, visibly relieved that it was over. Meanwhile, his host family, Dirk and Paige Hamp of Wake Forest, were busy responding to emails from friends and supporters across the country who helped to fund the Kahuma's trip and Patrick's surgery.  The "tweets," they said, made it easier to spread the word.

Hamp said the procedure came just in time for Kahuma.

"In Africa, poverty comes without any sort of net," said Hamp. "There's no Medicaid card, there's no emergency room and the hospitals that are generally available to you are not oftentimes equipped to take care of the most serious needs."

Patrick will stay overnight at UNC Children's Hospital for observation. When he is discharged, he will stay with the Hamp family until he returns to Uganda in early June.

UNC doctors will see him there in September during their next medical mission trip as part of UNC Project Uganda. By then, said Dr. Frantz, Kahuma should be up and running. Something he's never been able to do before.

Kahuma's procedure is a joint effort between UNC's Project Uganda and several other outreach organizations. Read more about it here.

Dirk and Paige Hamp helped to found Embrace Uganda, an organization dedicated to focusing attention on the needs of the country's children. You can find out more by visiting the website.