Meet Zoe, a four-year-old girl who lives in the Philippines with her mother and father. Zoe is in preschool and loves to play dress up—she likes to pretend she is a princess. Her father is a handyman, and her mother works in retail.
When Zoe was born, she was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. This rare condition involves several related defects including a hole between two chambers of the heart and a muscular blockage in one of the heart’s valves. As a result, not enough oxygen is delivered to Zoe’s body, leaving her sickly and weak.
Although Zoe is not from Haiti, Watsi’s medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, helped to coordinate an open heart surgery for her in the Cayman Islands on March 24. This $20,000 surgery is being subsidized by Health City Cayman Islands. $1,500 will cover her lab tests, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. These funds will also support passport obtainment and the social workers who will accompany Zoe’s family overseas.
Zoe is the only child in her family, and her parents are very excited for her medical treatment.
“I am so grateful to everyone who is helping us travel around the world to be able to have this surgery!” shares Zoe’s mother.