Kensley is a student from Haiti. He lives with his aunt and uncle in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince; he reached the sixth grade before he stopped attending school due to his illness. Kensley has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect and severe tricuspid regurgitation. He suffers from two different defects: a hole between the two upper chambers of his heart, and one of the four valves of his heart which is malformed and cannot open and close properly.
Kensley will fly to Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On April 26, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will close the hole in his heart with a patch, and repair or replace his tricuspid valve. Another organization, Fundacion Heart Care Dominicana, is contributing $10,000 to pay for surgery.
Kensley’s 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 Kensley’s family overseas.
He says, “I am excited for my surgery so that I can enroll in school again.”