Benelson is a student from Haiti. He lives in a rural area in the mountains of central Haiti with his parents and a large extended family. He is in the eighth grade in school, and enjoys helping his family take care of their animals at home. Benelson has a cardiac condition called severe valvar pulmonic stenosis. One of the four valves in his heart is too small, preventing enough blood from flowing through it and leading to heart failure.
Benelson will fly to Cayman Islands to receive treatment. On December 12, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will insert a catheter with a balloon at the end into his heart, and inflate the balloon to stretch the valve open. Another organization, Have a Heart Cayman, is contributing $14,000 to pay for surgery.
Benelson’s family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Benelson’s family overseas.
He says, “I am glad I can have this surgery so I won’t be as tired all the time!”