Marise is a 13-year-old student, living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with her parents and four siblings.
Marise has a cardiac condition called congenital aortic valve stenosis. As a result of this condition, one of the four valves in Marise’s heart is much narrower than it should be, making her heart strain to push blood through the valve. This leaves Marise weak, and unable to participate in physical activities.
The care she needs is not available in Haiti so Marise will fly to the Dominican Republic, where on February 9th, she will undergo surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT, during which her valve will be repaired.
While another organization is helping to support the cost of Marise’s surgery, our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to cover her care costs including pre and post operative medical care, and travel expenses for Marise’s family, and the social worker who will accompany them for her surgery.
Marise shared: “I am looking forward to being able to stop worrying about my heart after surgery.”