Esme
At the beginning of 2021, Myra was awaiting the birth of her first child, a baby girl named Esme. Throughout her pregnancy, Myra continued coursework in biochemistry at a local university. Her husband, Daniel, worked as a soccer referee, earning roughly $250 per month. The young couple lived with Daniel’s parents in a small adobe house in the southern zone of Cochabamba. As Myra and Daniel neared the birth of their baby girl, they received troubling news. A prenatal ultrasound revealed the baby had cardiological problems. Myra and Daniel were informed of what they might expect at the baby’s birth.
Esme was born by cesarean section in February of 2021 and immediately transferred to an incubator for observation. During the first year, she seemed stable. However, by early 2022 her health was in steep decline. Esme was eventually admitted to the pediatric emergency room and placed in intensive care. Daniel and Myra soon exhausted all of their resources paying for the diagnostic catheterization, echocardiogram, and hospitalization services for baby Esme. They were deep in debt, but cardiologists urgently recommended open heart surgery.
Daniel and Myra were referred to the Solidarity Bridge/Puente de Solidaridad Pediatric Heart Program for assistance. Daniel shared, “I am very grateful for the help you have given us and for all the coordination to perform the surgery on my little daughter. Please, I ask you not to abandon us. We are putting all our commitment into the recovery of our little daughter.”
Prior to surgery, Esme suffered from a bacterial infection that further complicated her treatment. Doctors administered antibiotics and waited for the infant to stabilize before going ahead with the surgery in mid-April 2022. Esme was released from the hospital six days later in stable contition. Puente de Solidaridad social workers and Esme’s doctors will continue to monitor the baby’s condition as she regains her strength and health. Esme’s young parents expressed their gratitude to all who made this life-saving surgery possible.