Alina
Newlyweds Jonathon, 25, and Diana, 22, live with Diana’s parents near Santa Cruz, Bolivia. In June 2024, Diana gave birth to twin girls. Both were born with significant heart malformations, leading to the death of one of the infants when she was just 40 days old. Diana, a nursing assistant, dedicates herself full time to caring for her surviving daughter, Alina, while Jonathon drives a taxi to cover the young family’s expenses. Diana’s parents generate barely enough income selling empanadas to sustain themselves but help Jonathon and Diana as much as they can.
When Alina was eight months old, the pediatric cardiologist told the family it was time to surgically intervene. Alina’s heart did not have a functioning tricuspid valve. Cardiac surgeon Dr. Lupinta employed a catheterization procedure to open a path for vital blood flow between the right heart chambers, the atrium and ventricle, in what would be the first of multiple interventions necessary as Alina grows.