Federico
After separating from her husband, Maria, 39, moved back into her parents’ home with her two teenagers. Amid the many stresses in the family’s life, Maria was most concerned about the declining health of her oldest child, 17-year-old Federico. Since he was 13, Federico had occasionally reported that his heart was beating unusually fast. Maria thought he’d grow out of it. But when he was 16, his episodes of tachycardia became so frequent that the family stopped sending him to the fields to work as was expected of boys in his community. They were even nervous to send him to school or allow him to do other normal adolescent activities, afraid that he might suffer a heart scare at any moment.
Federico was referred to the Incor health clinic in Santa Cruz, where Dr. Leidy Viveros diagnosed him with a heart blockage that could be treated by a relatively simple ablation procedure. Maria requested financial support through Puente de Solidaridad to help cover the cost. As Maria shared with the social worker, Federico “tells me he wants to be healthy, to be able to study … we are very grateful for your support. May God bless the work you do supporting so many people.”