Mirlene is three years old, and lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with her mother, aunt, and cousins. She has not yet started preschool but likes to play with the kids in her neighborhood and draw. “Mirlene was born with a cardiac condition called complete atrioventricular septal defect, in which multiple holes exist between the upper and lower chambers of her heart,” says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). “Blood flows through these holes in her heart without first passing through the lungs to get oxygen, leaving her sickly and short of breath. Because of the severity of this condition, there is a chance it may not be repairable, but the only way to determine this is by inserting a catheter into the chambers of her heart. Since this is not possible in Haiti, arrangements are being made to bring her to Dominican Republic to perform this extremely important test in the hopes that she can have heart surgery later in the year.” For $1,500, Mirlene will receive this life-saving procedure to determine the rest of her treatment plan. This cost also covers her travel and transportation costs between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. "I am so happy that there is a way forward for Mirlene,” her mother says. “We are hoping for a good result from this test."