Gladis Arauz Guzman
Gladis Arauz Guzman is sixteen years old and has a ostium primum atrial septal heart defect. She is the youngest of seven siblings. Her father is a bricklayer and her mother is a baker.
Gladis seemed healthy when she was a child. At thirteen she began to feel her first symptoms of her heart condition. She grew thin and constantly tired. She started having stabbing pain from her back through her heart. Her parents took her to the doctor and they discovered her heart defect and the gravity of her situation.
Gladis' mother told us, "Gladis is a good daughter, a good student. I know that God will save her. The doctor told us that it is dangerous as her heart gets worse because she is so young. We have no money. What we earn often barely allows us to scrape by. But we will try to earn a little more to save our daughter. Please help us."
Dharma, you saved the life of Gladis. On August 18th, 2010, Gladis received her open heart surgery and is now recovering well. This surgery was made possible through the financial support of Dharma Trading Co.