Georgina
In times of crisis, we all need stories of hope and inspiration. When faced with feelings of helplessness, being able to help in some small way reconnects us with the truth of who we are and who we’re called to be. In July, in the small town of Portachuelo, Bolivia, an entire community came together to fight for the life of a newborn baby girl. When Portachuelo natives Fanny and Jorge were faced with a crisis, their community moved quickly to form a network of solidarity, sharing their prayers, donations, and connections. In this way, Fanny and Jorge were connected to the Puente de Solidaridad Children’s Heart Surgery Program and were able to find financial support, accompaniment, and life-saving help for their infant daughter.
When Fanny was experiencing problems at the beginning of her pregnancy she sought help from her local doctor in Portachuelo, nearly two hours northwest of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The doctor informed Fanny that she had miscarried and scheduled her for a D & C procedure to remove the baby. Fanny went home overcome with grief and fear. When she returned for the procedure, the doctor was surprised to find that the baby was still alive. Fanny and Jorge were overjoyed at the news and on July, 6, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl and named her Georgina.
This joy soon turned to concern as doctors diagnosed Georgina with a congenital heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. This condition is caused by a combination of four heart defects that cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body. Additionally, Georgina wasn’t accepting milk due to an intestinal issue called duodenal atresia. Georgina would need an emergency Blalock Taussig shunt procedure to increase pulmonary blood flow until a permanent corrective surgery could be performed. Soon after the shunt procedure, she would need additional surgery to correct her intestinal obstruction. Georgina was just days old, her parents were under enormous emotional and economic strain, and the health services in Bolivia were reeling from the destruction of the Coronavirus pandemic.
In spite of these incredible challenges, Fanny and Jorge were determined to do anything and everything to save the life of their newborn daughter. Jorge went to his older daughter’s grade school in Portachuelo and spoke to a teacher named Beby, who was well-known for her ability to mobilize support for people in need in their village. Beby quickly organized a campaign of support for Georgina’s surgeries. The word quickly spread to Puente de Solidaridad, which is well-known in Santa Cruz for helping children with congenital heart defects. Puente de Solidaridad offered financial assistance from the Goff Gift Fund. The wheels of support moved rapidly, and Georgina was scheduled for surgery when she was just 15 days old.
Dr. Arturo Barrientos and Dr. Orlando Jaldín, long-time partners of the Puente de Solidaridad Children’s Heart Surgery Program, performed the successful shunt procedure. Two weeks later Georgina was scheduled for intestinal surgery at the Japanese Hospital. Throughout the tumult of her first weeks of life, Georgina and her family have been accompanied by a virtual community of support and prayer through social media networks. Beby’s Facebook page has kept everyone informed of Georgina’s progress, saying “Georgina is a blessing from God. This little fighter is getting better every day in order to return to her humble home that has been waiting for her with great love. May God and all the angels protect her.”
Georgina’s mother, Fanny, called Puente de Solidaridad after the surgery to share her gratitude. “There were many loving hands that contributed to this miracle. My baby needed an urgent surgery to survive. I am grateful to the staff and donors of Puente de Solidaridad and Solidarity Bridge who made it possible for my daughter to have the heart surgery. We felt hopeless. We didn’t know what was going to happen. We don’t have words as parents to express our gratitude.”
Currently, Georgina is recovering at the Japanese Hospital in Santa Cruz. In the midst of the ongoing devastation of the Coronavirus, Georgina and Fanny have clearly become symbols of hope for the people of Portachuelo, for the healthcare community in Santa Cruz, and for all of us at Puente de Solidaridad and Solidarity Bridge. We’re grateful that our community of solidarity could contribute, in some small way, to this beautiful story of courageous hope and love that fights against all odds.>