Ashley is a 1-year-old baby girl that lives in Santa Cruz, a city in eastern Bolivia, with her mother. Ashley’s mother is still in high school and does not have an income at the moment, so Ashley and her mother live with Ashley’s parents.
Ashley was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect (VSD). As a child with VSD, Ashley was born with a hole in the heart wall, called the septum, that separates the left and right lower chambers, called the ventricles. The hole allows blood to be pumped into the lungs, making the heart work harder than normal. Over time, this extra strain on the heart may lead to congestive heart failure.
Ashley’s current symptoms include feeling weak and constantly short of breath. Fortunately, Ashley’s family was able to meet with our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) at their care center, the Hospital del Niño Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría. A surgeon was able to diagnose Ashley’s condition and scheduled her for surgery on May 31st to fix the hole in her heart. HCA is requesting $1,500 to help fund this procedure.
Ashley’s mother commented, “Our family is very happy to know we can have this opportunity to heal my daughter’s heart!”