Astania from Haiti raised $1,500 for life-saving heart surgery.

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$1,500 raised, $0 to go

$1,500

raised

to go

Astania's story
Astania's update

February 24, 2016

Astania is two months old and lives in Haiti with her parents and four older siblings. She was born with a heart condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. “Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen,” our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) shares. “This leaves her feeling sick and weak.”

Astania’s father works in construction, and her mother sells rice in a marketplace. Although they work hard, they cannot afford the heart surgery that their daughter needs. Her mother told HCA that “Astania has been sick ever since she was born,” and she is “very happy that [Astania] can have her surgery.”

$1,500 will fund preparation and overseas transportation costs for Astania’s surgery, which is also being funded with a subsidy of $5,000 from Gift of Life International.

“A successful surgery will restore normal blood flow to Astania’s heart, and she will not have any further symptoms,” HCA adds.

Astania is two months old and lives in Haiti with her parents and four older siblings. She was born with a heart condition called ventricula...

Photo of Astania post-operation

March 30, 2016

Astania received life-saving heart surgery.

“During surgery, a band was placed around Astania’s pulmonary artery, allowing her heart to continue developing safely and with fewer symptoms,” reports our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). Although this surgery will allow Astania’s heart to develop with fewer symptoms, she will need surgery in a couple of years to fully repair the hole in her heart.

For now, Astania’s mother is thankful for Astania’s progress and shares, “My husband and I prayed during the entire surgery and we are so happy that our prayers were answered!”

"During surgery, a band was placed around Astania's pulmonary artery, allowing her heart to continue developing safely and with fewer sympto...

February 24, 2016
PROFILE SUBMITTED
Astania was submitted by Owen Robinson, Executive Director at Haiti Cardiac Alliance.
February 24, 2016
TREATMENT OCCURRED
Astania received treatment at St. Damien Hospital in Haiti. 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.
March 1, 2016
PROFILE PUBLISHED
Astania's profile was published to start raising funds.
March 3, 2016
FULLY FUNDED
Astania's treatment was fully funded.
March 30, 2016
TREATMENT UPDATE
We received an update on Astania. Read the update.

Funded by 51 donors

Treatment

Domestic Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Diagnosis
Procedure

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 staff decides whether the child can be treated in-country or needs to be flown elsewhere to access care. If the child can be treated in-country, he or she is scheduled for an upcoming surgical mission. In the meantime, HCA provides periodic cardiac checkups. 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. 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.

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Astania's Timeline

Funded by 51 donors

Treatment

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.