Gonzalo
Fidel, 28, spends his days ferrying passengers on the back of his motorcycle through the heavy traffic of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. His “moto-taxi” business generates around $10 dollars a day to cover his family’s meals, utilities, housing, education, and healthcare expenses.
Fidel and his partner Celia welcomed their second son, Gonzalo, in October 2024. He was born five weeks early by emergency cesarean after the obstetrician detected an accelerated heartbeat. He then spent several weeks in NICUs at two different hospitals. Gonzalo was eventually diagnosed with a very rare heart defect consisting of a fistula between the major artery taking blood from the heart to the body and the one taking blood from the heart to the lungs.
On February 28, 2025, surgeons threaded a coil through a catheter to embolize the defect. On April 23, the Puente de Solidaridad social worker who supported the family throughout the treatment process called Celia to check in on the baby’s progress. She was delighted to report her little boy is doing well!