Meet Julnise, a five-year-old girl from Haiti who lives with her father and three sisters. Her mother passed away when she was a baby. “She is a very shy girl but very curious about the world and what is going on around her,” says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA).
Julnise started kindergarten this year, but can only attend occasionally because of her congenital heart disease. Born with a cardiac condition called tetralogy of fallot, Julnise is susceptible to many symptoms. Specifically, “there is a hole between two chambers of her heart and a muscular blockage of one of the valves,” according to HCA. “As a result, blood cannot circulate normally through her body, and she is at constant risk of sudden death.”
Julnise’s treatment is also being subsidized by Health City Cayman Islands, who are covering $7500 of the procedure. For an additional $1500, Watsi can help fund her surgery (which is being performed overseas), two sets of travel documents and plane tickets.
After her surgery, HCA believes that Julnise’s heart will be able to function normally, and “she should be able to lead a normal and healthy childhood.”
“Since she was little, Julnise has often passed out and fallen to the ground, and we never knew why,” says Julnise’s father. “We are very happy to know there is a way to fix this.”
