Four-year-old Clarens lives in Haiti with his mother and grandmother. He was born with cerebral palsy and cannot yet walk on his own. However, he is slowly learning to walk with braces and crutches.
“He is a very intelligent child and has already learned to read and write well,” says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA).
HCA continues that in addition to cerebral palsy, Clarens has heart disease. “Clarens was born with a cardiac condition called valvar pulmonic stenosis, in which one of the valves of his heart is too small to allow blood to adequately pass through. As a result, oxygen does not reach his body in sufficient quantities, leaving him sickly and weak.”
Heart surgery can correct Clarens’ condition. Health City Caymen Islands has raised $5,000 to cover the cost of his surgery, and another $1,500 from Watsi donors will pay for Clarens’ surgery preparation, transportation, and travel funds so he can receive the surgery he needs.
“Following surgery, normal blood flow should be restored to Clarens’s heart and he should not have any further cardiac symptoms,” HCA says.
“I am so happy that this surgery will be possible for Clarens, and I thank God and everyone who is helping to fix my son’s heart,” says Clarens’ mother.