“Flescher is a happy boy whose favorite thing to do is suck on his fingers and thumbs,” our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), tells us. Flescher is 16 months old. He was born with a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus, in which a hole in the heart which normally closes shortly after birth, remains open. "Blood leaks through this hole without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him sickly and weak,” explains HCA. Much of Haiti's infrastructure was destroyed in the earthquake of 2010, further damaging a healthcare system that was already struggling to meet the needs of the people. Today, care for a complicated condition such as Flescher's is difficult to access and often unaffordable. To combat these difficulties, HCA partners with medical facilities around the world to connect Haitian patients with the treatments they need and assist in funding. $1,500 will allow Flescher access to surgery that will close the hole in his heart. Following surgery, Flescher should be able to lead a normal life with no further cardiac symptoms. The treatment is being subsidized with an additional $5,000 from Gift of Life International. “I am so happy to know that Flescher can have surgery to fix his heart so that he will be able to grow and start preschool,” says his mother.