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Success! Mchandael from Haiti raised $1,500 for heart surgery.

Mchandael
100%
  • $1,500 raised, $0 to go
$1,500
raised
$0
to go
Fully funded
Mchandael's treatment was fully funded on September 6, 2016.

Photo of Mchandael post-operation

October 17, 2016

Mchandael received successful heart surgery.

During the procedure, Mchandael’s pulmonary valve was stretched open with a balloon to a near-normal size. Blood can now pass through it more freely, and he should not experience any further symptoms from this cardiac condition.

“I can already see that my son has more energy and is playing more actively,” Mchandael’s mother shared. “Thank you to everyone!”

During the procedure, Mchandael's pulmonary valve was stretched open with a balloon to a near-normal size. Blood can now pass through it mor...

Read more
August 12, 2016

13-month-old Mchandael was born with a cardiac condition called valvar pulmonic stenosis, in which one of the four valves of his heart is too narrow to allow enough blood to pass through it. As a result, blood backs up into his heart, leaving him sickly and weak and causing heart failure.

Mchandael lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with his mother and father; he is their first child. His mother works at a clothing store and his father sells cell phones in the street. Mchandael is a happy and curious baby who likes playing with toys and clapping to music.

For $1500 in Watsi funding, in addition to a $5000 subsidy from Have a Heart Cayman Islands, Mchandael can receive the heart surgery he needs to get healthy.

“We want to say thank you to everyone who is helping our son go to the hospital for his surgery,” his mother shared.

13-month-old Mchandael was born with a cardiac condition called valvar pulmonic stenosis, in which one of the four valves of his heart is to...

Read more

Mchandael's Timeline

  • August 12, 2016
    PROFILE SUBMITTED

    Mchandael was submitted by Owen Robinson, Executive Director at Haiti Cardiac Alliance.

  • August 17, 2016
    TREATMENT OCCURRED

    Mchandael received treatment at Health City Cayman Islands in Cayman Islands. Medical partners often provide care to patients accepted by Watsi before those patients are fully funded, operating under the guarantee that the cost of care will be paid for by donors.

  • August 29, 2016
    PROFILE PUBLISHED

    Mchandael's profile was published to start raising funds.

  • September 6, 2016
    FULLY FUNDED

    Mchandael's treatment was fully funded.

  • October 17, 2016
    TREATMENT UPDATE

    Mchandael's treatment was successful. Read the update.

Funded by 15 donors

Funded by 15 donors

Treatment
Overseas Prep and Transportation
  • Cost Breakdown
  • Diagnosis
  • Procedure
On average, it costs $1,980 for Mchandael's treatment
Subsidies fund $480 and Watsi raises the remaining $1,500
Hospital Fees
$0
Medical Staff
$450
Medication
$360
Supplies
$0
Travel
$900
Labs
$180
Other
$90
  • Symptoms
  • Impact on patient's life
  • Cultural or regional significance

​What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?

When a hole exists in the heart, a physician can hear a buzzing noise, or murmur, in the child's chest as blood passes through the hole at high velocity. The child's parents might notice that their son or daughter cannot keep up with other children in daily activities. In severe cases, the lack of oxygen in the bloodstream can lead to dramatic symptoms, such as blue lips and tongue, clubbed fingers and toes, and heart failure. The patients treated by Haiti Cardiac Alliance tend to fall into two categories. They are either born with some type of hole or defect in the heart, or they develop valve disease as a result of an untreated strep throat infection (rheumatic fever). Patients with rheumatic valve disease experience swelling of the abdomen and extremities, as the heart tries to circulate blood through the body despite the valve's dysfunction.

​What is the impact on patients’ lives of living with these conditions?

Virtually all of the conditions treated at Haiti Cardiac Alliance will eventually lead to death without surgery, the majority of them within one to two years. In the meantime, patients experience heart failure as their hearts struggle to compensate for the presence of leaks or other defects. In most conditions, the heart becomes fatigued, limiting the child's ability to be active, go to school, and participate in daily life.

What cultural or regional factors affect the treatment of these conditions?

Families in Haiti often have complex cultural mechanisms for understanding cardiac illnesses and their causes, sometimes involving voudou or other religious belief systems. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of Haitian families in our medical partner's program also engage with the medical explanations and treatment of these conditions. Parents are willing and cooperative participants in their child's treatment.

  • Process
  • Impact on patient's life
  • Risks and side-effects
  • Accessibility
  • Alternatives

What does the treatment process look like?

The patient is first referred to our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), by a pediatrician or another medical practitioner who detects symptoms that might be cardiac in nature. HCA staff then perform an echocardiogram to diagnose the cardiac condition. If surgery is required, the child joins a triaged waitlist to be placed for surgery with partner hospitals. It can sometimes take 6-12 months to move through this waitlist. During this period, HCA provides periodic cardiac checkups, changing the patient's triage position as appropriate. The child and his/her guardian then travel to the hospital with an HCA social worker. Typically, the child spends 4-5 days in or near the hospital prior to surgery for testing and examinations. After surgery, he or she spends several more days as an inpatient prior to being discharged. When the child is strong enough to travel, usually after several more weeks, he/she returns home to Haiti. HCA provides regular cardiac checkups for at least five years postoperatively before the final discharge from their program.

What is the impact of this treatment on the patient’s life?

These treatments are almost always life-saving in nature. These cardiac conditions are not survivable over the long-term without surgery. Within weeks after surgery, the patient should notice a difference in energy level. Many patients also undergo a growth spurt and/or gain significant weight after a surgery.

What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?

The risk of death during or shortly after an open-heart surgical procedure is about 3%. Other risks, though rare, include stroke and post-operative infection. In a small percentage of cases, the material used to patch the hole "blows," and a follow-up surgery is necessary to re-patch the defect.

How accessible is treatment in the area? What is the typical journey like for a patient to receive care?

Patients come to Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) from the entirety of Haiti. This can involve three days of travel in buses, pickup trucks, or even on horseback. There is no cardiac surgery of any kind available in Haiti outside of the HCA treatment network.

What are the alternatives to this treatment?

In general, patients are treated with medications to prevent heart failure until they are ready to travel. Patients may also seek care from traditional healers, who may use liquids and powders derived from local plants and roots.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Daniel

Daniel is a 10-year-old student from Ethiopia. He is in second grade and loves school. His favorite subject is English. He also loves playing football and games with friends, eating fruits and eggs with injera. He is the fifth child in the family with four older brothers. Both parents are daily laborers on a farm and get income by sharing the profit during harvest with the landowner. They use the income to feed the family and also sell some of the produce to buy other goods for the house. During the rainy season, they engage in other labor work such as chopping wood, gardening and delivery of different goods. Even though their family income is sufficient to support the basic needs of their family, it is a challenge to afford Daniel's surgery. Daniel was born with hypospadias, a congenital disease that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms. Earlier he had two surgeries with Bethany Kids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre (BKMCM). For the third surgery, he had to wait for four years. The wait made him drop out of school and has affected his mental wellbeing. Fortunately, Daniel is now scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 28th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Daniel's dad said “I will be happy if my son completely heals and becomes free from shame. I am eager to send him back to school.”

15% funded

15%funded
$204raised
$1,089to go

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.