Jenni
Jenni was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia, but currently lives with her mom, Yovanna, and her 20-year-old sister in the town of Arequipa in the neighboring country of Peru. Yovanna is in a drawn-out battle with Jenni’s father, Cirilo, an auto mechanic, over his neglect of his family obligations. For the past few years, Yovanna has sustained herself and her daughters by selling clothes in a street market. In addition to covering basic living expenses, Yovanna pays for periodic trips back to Cochabamba to see pediatric cardiologist Dr. Echazú, who has cared for Jenni since she was first diagnosed as an infant with a hole between her upper heart chambers, known as an atrial septal defect (ASD).
In February 2025, Dr. Echazú recommended a novel minimally-invasive repair option. Yovanna was still paying off a bank loan to cover previous expenses related to her daughter’s care and could not take on additional debt. The Solidarity Bridge Heart Program stepped in to help cover the cost of the outpatient procedure that promises a long-awaited solution to Jenni’s heart malformation. Jenni is now back in school and doing well!