Bradley is a six-year-old boy who lives with his grandmother in a small town in western Haiti, which an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. Bradley’s parents work in the capital of Port-au-Prince and visit him regularly. He’s happy to have started school and is in the first grade.
Bradley was born with a condition called atrial septal defect. The condition means a hole exists between the two upper chambers of his heart. Blood leaks through this hole, which means Bradley often feels weak and short of breath.
This condition is highly treatable with surgery, but the surgery he needs is not available within Haiti. Our medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance has arranged to bring Bradley to the Dominican Republic for treatment. There, on May 26th, doctors will use a catheter to close the hole in his growing heart. He should then be able to go on to live a full and healthy life.
“Our family is looking forward to this surgery so we no longer have to worry so much about Bradley’s health,” his grandmother says.
The Rotarian-based nonprofit Gift of Life International is contributing $5,000 toward Bradley’s surgery. The additional $1,500 will help cover his medical bills and related care, including travel expenses for Bradley.
His grandmother shared: “Our family is looking forward to this surgery so we no longer have to worry so much about Bradley’s health.”