"Stael loves his pacifier, and won't let anyone take it out of his mouth for pictures!" shares our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). Stael is not quite one-year-old and lives in central Haiti. He was born with a condition called ventricular septal defect - a hole between the two chambers of his heart.
"Stael has suffered from shortness of breath, palpitations, and poor feeding ever since he was born," says HCA. "If left untreated, Stael's condition can lead to heart failure and become fatal."
Stael has loving parents and two older brothers. Since Stael was born, his mother has stopped working in order to care for him, leaving the family with financial difficulties. Stael's mom tells us, “I am a little bit scared that my baby is having surgery, but I trust that God knows what’s best and that everything will go well!"
Stael has received $5,000 toward the cost of heart surgery from a program called Open Hearts Haiti. All that's missing is the cost of getting him to surgery.
For $1,500, we'll be able to pay for his overseas transport and prep, allowing him to receive surgery to close the hole in his heart.