Jenifer is a young girl who lives with her mother, two siblings, and grandparents in Guatemala’s rural western highlands. She loves to be at home helping her mother around the house. When Jenifer grows up, she says that she would like to be a teacher because she loves to play with children.
Since Jenifer was just two years old, she has shown symptoms of having a congenital heart defect. She often grows tired while playing, and complains frequently of pain in her chest. These symptoms are due to Jenifer’s heart condition, which she needs surgery to fix.
After many years trying to get her heart fixed, Jenifer has finally been accepted to receive surgery—a procedure that will not only heal her congenital heart defect, but will also change her life. Jenifer will be able to play like a normal child for the first time ever, and she will not be in danger of suffering a life-threatening event related to her heart condition.
Jenifer’s mother says, “I hope that my daughter can keep growing up healthily so that she can achieve her dreams to become a teacher.”