Cora
Cora is the oldest of three children of Rimer and Lilian. The family home is a decades-old, four-room adobe construction in the typical style still found in their hometown of Aiquile, Bolivia.
When Cora was four, her parents were told she had a hole in the atrial wall of her heart. They were given the options of going to a private hospital to have it surgically repaired, or waiting to see if it might close on its own. In reality, it was not likely to resolve on its own given that Cora was already four and it had persisted that long. But paying out of pocket for care was equally far-fetched, so they hoped for the best. Throughout her childhood, Cora struggled to keep up with her classmates during physical activities, so she focused on her schoolwork instead, transforming into a top student.
Given her work ethic and stellar grades, Cora's parents happily agreed to support her ambition to complete a degree in architecture in Cochabamba. But once Cora moved into her small, rented room in Cochabamba and started university classes, it became harder to compensate for her limited physical stamina. She suffered persistent headaches and frequent dizziness and was constantly needing to stop what she was doing to rest and catch her breath. She heard that one of her freshman classmates had undergone surgery through a program for low-income families at a Cochabamba heart clinic. Cora confided in the classmate about her struggles, and he put her in touch with Puente de Solidaridad.
Cora underwent open heart surgery on February 1, 2024, under the skilled care of Dr. Ericka Perez and her team at the Belga clinic in Cochabamba. A young adult often needs more time to recover from such a surgery than an infant, so Cora was kept a full week at the Belga before her discharge. Lilian expressed feelings of guilt at not procuring surgery sooner for Cora: "It hurts in my soul that I had not given this the importance it needed in due time." The Puente de Solidaridad social worker assured the family that their story is common, given the innumerable barriers to this type of surgery in Bolivia. It was a blessing for all involved to see Cora finally receive high-quality care that will allow her to continue her studies and pursue a professional career and a full life.