Dalexandro Portillo
Dalexandro Portillo, now almost two, and his four-year-old sister are the children of a young
couple, William and Lineth, living in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. His father supports the family as a taxi
driver, while his mother is unable to work while she attends to Dalexandro's special care. More
than half of William's income is needed to simply cover family food expenses
Around eight months of age, Dalexandro began to lose weight and his fingers started to
turn blue. Dalexandro was diagnosed with an Ostium Secundum atrial septal defect. Since
his diagnosis, William and Lineth have dedicated themselves to saving his life, including
channeling more than one quarter of their income to their son's medical tests, medications and
appointments. Some vascular specialists who initially evaluated Dalexandro declined to operate
given the high risks involved. 
On February 13, Dr. Arturo Barrientos successfully completed the
needed surgery at the Incor Clinic in Santa Cruz, using a Gore cardiovascular patch donated by
Solidarity Bridge.
William shared the following reflection with our social worker: "We married filled with hope around the idea of forming a family. We have had a mountain of trials, but we have moved forward. We know they help us grow and we know that God will not give us more challenges than those we can overcome with love." Dalexandro's doctors and family are hopeful he will make a solid recovery and his overall physical development will now be able to catch up to his peers. This surgery was made possible through the financial support of Dharma Trading Company.