Darlen
Darlen is the only child of Jorge and Olga, farmers in the region of Santa Fe de Yapacani. The family lives with Olga’s adult brothers and elderly parents, all of whom help care for Darlen who has been sickly since birth. When she was just three months old, cardiologists diagnosed Darlen with an atrial septal defect. As subsistence farmers, her family could not afford the surgery that is only available in Bolivia at private specialized hospitals. Finally, in September 2019 Darlen was approved to undergo surgery to patch the hole in her heart. The procedure was performed at the Incor hospital in Santa Cruz as part of a weeklong mission of pediatric surgeons from Texas Children’s Hospital, with financial support for hospital expenses provided by the Goff Gift Fund. Olga expressed her deep gratitude to the Puente de Solidaridad social worker who coordinated her care: "for us it was a great joy to know that our daughter can now live a normal life."