Aleaza is a baby from Haiti. She lives with her mother, grandparents, and three older siblings in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
Aleaza has a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. A hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her sick and short of breath. She also has a condition called pulmonary hypertension, in which the blood pressures to her lungs are higher than normal. As a result, before she can be considered for surgery, she needs to have a diagnostic catheterization procedure to ensure that surgery can be done safely.
To determine if Aleaza's condition is operable, she must undergo a diagnostic cardiac catheterization, a procedure that is not available in Haiti. During the procedure, a catheter probe will be inserted into her heart to perform the necessary measurements and tests. On August 20, she will travel to the Dominican Republic to receive the scan at our medical partner's care center, Clinica Corominas.
Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is asking for $1,500 to cover the costs of Aleaza's travel expenses, catheterization procedure, and lab work.
Her mother says, "Our family has been working very hard to try to keep Aleaza healthy so that she can have a chance for surgery."