Wilanka is a girl from Haiti. She was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. She underwent open-heart surgery for this condition in 2017, but at some point after the surgery, the patch that was sewn over the hole unfortunately separated from part of her heart, and so she requires a second open-heart surgery to replace the patch. Wilanka lives in west central Haiti with her parents and three siblings; she does well in school, especially in math and science.
Wilanka will fly to India to receive treatment. On August 14, she will undergo cardiac surgery. Another organization, Rotary International, is contributing $8,000 to pay for surgery.
Her family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany her family overseas.