Hospital CEDIMAT

Charlina is a baby girl from Haiti. She lives with her parents in a city on the southern coast; her father works in construction, and her mother currently stays home to care for her. Charlina has a cardiac condition called double outlet right ventricle. one of the major blood vessels carrying blood from her heart is attached to the heart at an anatomically abnormal location, which prevents blood from circulating normally through her heart and body. She also has Down syndrome. Charlina will fly to the Dominican Republic to undergo surgery on March 18th. As Charlina's heart is still too small to completely repair this condition, she will undergo cardiac surgery, where doctors will implant a shunt in her heart that will help blood circulate more normally, and keep her safe and healthy until she has reached an age where a full repair is possible. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $4500.00 to pay for the surgery. Charlina's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. They need help raising $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Charlina's family overseas. Charlina's mother shared, "I am hopeful that after this surgery Charlina will have more appetite and energy than she does now!"

Franklin is a 13-year-old student from Haiti. He lives in a rural agricultural area with his parents, who are both farmers, and six older siblings. He enjoys going to school and playing soccer. Franklin has a heart condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the four valves in his heart was severely damaged by an infection he suffered earlier in childhood, and now cannot adequately pump blood through his body. Franklin will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On March 23rd, he will undergo surgery, during which surgeons will attempt to repair his damaged valve; if they are unable to do so, they will remove it instead and implant an artificial replacement. While another charity, Mitral Foundation, is funding Franklin's surgery, his family will also need help with the costs associated with his surgical preparations. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It will also support securing travel documents for the family and paying travel costs for the social workers who will accompany Franklin's family overseas. Franklin's mother shared, "We are so thankful to everyone who is making this surgery possible for our son!"

Kesnel is a 14-year-old student from Haiti. He is the youngest in a family of six; his father works in construction, and his mother is a vendor. Before his health issues, Kesnel enjoyed playing soccer with friends and studying at school. Kesnel has been diagnosed with a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the valves in his heart does not open and close properly due to an infection he suffered earlier in childhood, and as a result, his heart cannot adequately circulate blood through his body. Kesnel needs to travel to the Dominican Republic for treatment. On March 23rd, Kesnel will undergo surgery, during which surgeons will first attempt to repair the valve so that it functions more normally; if they are unable to do so, they will instead remove it and implant an artificial replacement. While another organization, Mitral Foundation, is funding Kesnel's surgical procedure, his family will also need help to fund his pre-operative costs. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It will also support securing travel documents for the family and paying travel costs for the social workers who will accompany Kesnel's family overseas. Looking to the future, Kesnel says: "I am excited to have a healthy heart so I can go back to school and play soccer with my friends!"

Ketmada is a 17-year-old student from Haiti. She lives with her parents and three older siblings in a mountainous village in central Haiti. Her father is a school custodian, and her mother is a homemaker. She likes cosmetics and beauty care and would like to be a professional cosmetician one day. Ketmada has been diagnosed with a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the valves in her heart does not open and close properly due to an infection she suffered earlier in childhood, and as a result, her heart cannot adequately circulate blood through her body. Ketmada needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On March 24th, Ketmada will undergo surgery, during which surgeons will attempt to repair the valve so that it functions more normally. If her valve cannot be repaired, the surgeons will instead remove it and implant an artificial replacement. While another organization, Mitral Foundation, is funding Ketmada's surgery, her family will also need help to fund the costs of her surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. That amount will also support securing travel documents for her family and paying travel costs for the social workers who will accompany Ketmada's family overseas. Ketmada says joyfully, "I am very excited to have this surgery so that I can stop worrying so much about my heart!"

Edson is a five-year-old boy from Haiti. He lives with his parents and older sister in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, where his parents work as vendors. Edson is in preschool, likes arts and crafts, and has been learning to read. Edson has a cardiac condition that involves several related congenital conditions, including a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. These defects prevent blood from circulating normally through the heart and from passing through the lungs to obtain enough oxygen. Edson needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On April 6th, surgeons will sew a patch over the hole in his heart and remove the muscular blockage from the valve. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, has raised $6,500 to assist in paying for surgery. Edson's family needs help funding the costs of surgical preparation. He needs help raising $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Edson's family overseas. Edson's mother shared, "Our family is hopeful that after this surgery, our son's health will finally be completely normal!"

Matheo is a three-year-old preschooler from Haiti. He lives with his parents in a suburb of Port-au-Prince; his father is a police officer and his mother runs a small shop. In his free time Matheo enjoys singing. Matheo has a cardiac condition called pulmonic stenosis - one of the four valves of his heart is too narrow, and as a result blood cannot flow normally through his heart and body. If left untreated, this could lead to heart failure. Matheo will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On May 6th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will use a balloon on the end of a catheter to stretch the valve open to a more normal size. Another organization is contributing to pay for surgery. Matheo's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Matheo's family overseas. Matheo's mother said, "Our family would like to say thank you to everyone who is making it possible for Matheo to be healthy!"

Michelsa is a young student from Haiti. She is in the first grade and likes art and music. Michelsa lives with her mother, grandmother, and two siblings in a city on the west coast of Haiti. Her mother sews school uniforms for a living. Michelsa has a cardiac condition called pulmonary stenosis. One of the four valves in Michelsa's heart is too narrow, making it difficult for blood to flow through it and leading to heart failure. Michelsa will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On May 11th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use a balloon on the end of a catheter to stretch the valve open to a more normal size. Another organization, International Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $4,000 to pay for surgery. Michelsa's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Michelsa's family overseas. Michelsa's mother shares, "Our family is very hopeful that after this surgery, we can let my daughter run and play without worrying about her health."

Ashley is a four-year-old preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her parents and one younger sister in an agricultural village in central Haiti. Her parents both work as farmers and raise animals. Ashley likes listening to music on the radio and singing in church. Ashley has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two major blood vessels next to her heart. Blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. Ashley will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On May 13th, she will undergo cardiac surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT, during which doctors will use a device on the end of a catheter to plug the hole in her heart, so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization, International Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $4,000 to pay for the surgery. Ashley's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Ashley's family overseas. Ashley's mother said: "We will be so happy when we can stop worrying so much about our daughter's health!"

Christie is a four-year-old girl from Haiti, who lives with her parents and two older siblings in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. She is in preschool, and is learning to read. She loves dressing up and playing with her friends. Christie has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two major blood vessels next to her heart; blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. Christie will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On May 13th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use a device on the end of a catheter to plug the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization, International Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $4,000 to pay for surgery. Christie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Christie's family overseas. Christie's mother says: "Our family is so thankful that our daughter has this chance to travel and to get her heart healed!"

Hervens is a 17-year-old high-school student from Haiti. He lives in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince with his parents, four brothers, and two sisters. His parents are both small-scale vendors. Hervens is in his second year of high school and likes art and literature. Hervens has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect. A hole exists between the two upper chambers of his heart; blood leaks through this hole, leaving him weak and short of breath. Hervens needs fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On June 23rd, he will undergo heart surgery, during which doctors will sew a patch over the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization is contributing to pay for surgery. Hervens's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Hervens's family overseas. Hervens says: "I am looking forward to having more energy, and to being stronger after my surgery!"

Zoe is a seven-year-old student who lives in central Haiti with her parents and younger brother. Her mother supports the family as a vendor. Zoe is in the second grade and likes arts and crafts. Zoe was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. A hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart, causing blood to leak through the hole without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen. This leaves her weak and short of breath and puts her at risk of heart failure in the future. Zoe needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On June 24th, she will undergo heart surgery, during which surgeons will sew a patch over the hole in her heart so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization is paying for the surgery, but Zoe’s family also needs help with the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Zoe's family overseas. Zoe’s mother shares, “Our family is so happy that Zoe was finally chosen for surgery; we have been waiting since she was a very small child!”

Wadley is a seven-year-old boy who lives with his parents and older brother in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His parents are both vendors. Wadley does not currently go to school due to his illness. He likes watching cartoons and listening to music. Wadley was born with a cardiac condition called double outlet right ventricle. A major artery connects to his heart at an abnormal location, preventing blood from circulating properly through his heart and body. This condition causes weakness and exhaustion and can lead to heart failure if untreated. Wadley needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On June 26th, he will undergo heart surgery, during which doctors will detach the artery from his heart and reconnect it at the appropriate position. Another organization is paying for the surgery. But Wadley’s family also needs help to fund the costs of care before and after surgery. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Wadley's family overseas. Wadley’s mother shares, “Our family has been praying for this surgery to be possible for many years, and our prayers are finally being answered!”