Phebe is a young woman from Haiti who underwent cardiac surgery in 2010 to close a hole between the two lower chambers of her heart. Although the surgery was successful in closing the hole, it left her with a condition in which her heart muscle was no longer able to properly transmit electrical pulses so that it could beat normally. To protect her heart, a pacemaker was implanted. Last month, the pacemaker was partially replaced with a new one because its battery had been depleted; following the procedure, however, she developed an infection that has rendered the pacemaker non-sterile, and as a result, the pacemaker and associated wires have to be taken out and replaced.
Phebe will travel to the north of the country to Hospital Sacre-Coeur where they can safely carry out the pacemaker implantation.
Phebe lives in Port-au-Prince with her older brother, his wife, and their family; she is a university student studying accounting. Phebe shared with us, “I would like to thank everyone for continuing to support me so that I can get completely healthy!”