Luc Stanley is nine years old and lives with his mother and four sisters in Haiti. "He is in the second grade in school, and his favorite subject is mathematics. He would like to be an engineer or an architect when he grows up," says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA).
Luc Stanley was born with a cardiac condition called tetralogy of fallot, characterized by a hole between two chambers of his heart, and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. "As a result, blood cannot circulate normally through his body, and he is at constant risk of sudden death," HCA adds.
For $1,500, Luc Stanley will undergo cardiac surgery to repair the hole and remove the muscular blockage in his heart. This operation has been subsidized with $5,000 by International Children's Heart Foundation.
Surgery will allow Luc Stanley's heart to function normally and circulate blood to the rest of his body so that he can play with his friends and live free from the concern of sudden cardiac arrest.
"I have never been able to play soccer with my friends, and so I am looking forward to learning how to play when my surgery is done!” Luc Stanley says.