Youbendjy is a four-month-old baby who lives in a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince with his mother, father, and older sister. Neither parent is employed full-time, but both of them work as day laborers when they can.
Youbendjy was born with a cardiac condition called total anomalous pulmonary vein return, in which the pulmonary veins connect to the right atrium of the heart. Typically, these veins should connect to the left atrium. This condition deprives his body of oxygen and leads to heart failure.
Youbendjy will undergo a surgery in which the veins are disconnected from the heart and reconnected in the appropriate location. First, he will undergo a full cardiac assessment on February 9. This assessment will include physical exams, labs, and an overnight stay at the hospital. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to fund these procedures. Funding for Youbendjy also covers the cost of medications and social support for him and his family. Gift of Life International is contributing $7,000 to cover additional costs associated with Youbendjy’s surgical care.
“I thought from the time my baby was born that we would lose him,” says his mother. “It is like a dream for me that we have a chance for surgery.”