Chrismaila is a six-month-old baby girl from Haiti. She lives in a mountain town with her parents and older brother. Her father works in construction, and her mother farms and takes care of the children.
Chrismaila was born with Down syndrome and a cardiac condition called complete atrioventricular canal defect. A hole exists in the center of her heart, affecting all four chambers and allowing blood to leak between them. This prevents her body from obtaining enough oxygen and leaves her weak and unable to gain weight properly.
Chrismaila needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On November 12th, she will undergo heart surgery, during which surgeons will use patches to close the hole in her heart so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization, Haitian Hearts Foundation, is contributing $7,000 to pay for the surgery.
Chrismaila’s family also needs help to fund costs related to the surgery. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Chrismaila’s family overseas.
Chrismaila’s mother shared, “Our family is praying that after this surgery, our daughter will be able to gain weight and have more strength and energy.”
