Jaime
Jaime is the newborn child of Norma and Ruddy, both just 21 years old. The couple was not allowed to take the baby home from the small rural hospital where he was born; instead, he was urgently transferred to the German Urquidi Hospital, the largest maternity and children’s hospital in central Bolivia. An ultrasound confirmed a diagnosis of hypoplastic (narrow) aortic arch, impinging on the circulation of oxygen-enriched blood through his body. Jaime languished in the hospital for weeks; the public hospital did not have the facilities or specialists to perform the needed corrective surgery. Norma remained at Jaime’s side full time, as required by the understaffed hospital. But Ruddy, who earns about $200 dollars a month working in a shoe factory, panicked as the situation grew increasingly dire, until informing Norma that he was leaving her on her own to take responsibility for the baby. Norma was fortunate to have the support of her family and of the pediatrician, who refused to give up on the little boy. The pediatrician was the one who reached out to Puente de Solidaridad to ask whether Jaime might qualify for assistance through the Solidarity Bridge Heart Program to undergo surgery at a private hospital. Jaime underwent open heart surgery in July and spent another 9 days in recovery before finally going home.
The Puente de Solidaridad social worker spoke with Norma in November to check up on Jaime’s progress. Norma shared the following: "It has been a miracle! Jaime was very ill. Now he no longer has that bluish color he used to have. We are really surprised by his improvement."