Emernica is a two-year-old girl from Haiti. She lives in Port-au-Prince with her mother, father, and grandparents. She likes to play dress-up and to go to church with her family.
Emernica was born with a heart condition called valvar pulmonic stenosis, which means that one of her heart’s valves is too small to allow enough blood to flow. As a result, her body does not receive enough oxygen, so she is sickly and weak.
Emernica flew to the Cayman Islands to receive treatment. On December 7, she underwent cardiac surgery, during which surgeons inserted a balloon into the valve and inflated the balloon to stretch the valve. This $10,000 surgery was subsidized by Have a Heart Cayman Islands. Emernica’s family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who accompanied Emernica’s family overseas.
Emernica’s mother shares, “We are very excited to know that there is a way to fix Emernica’s heart problem!”