Juanita
Juanita was abandoned at birth in the maternity ward in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Later Juanita’s aunt returned to the hospital to say that the family did not want the child. Child advocacy workers attempted to place Juanita in a state orphanage, but she was turned away due to her health condition.
Carmen, a physician in Santa Cruz, learned of Juanita’s story through a colleague. Carmen and her husband, Miguel, were unable to have children of their own. They knew that Juanita had heart problems, but they felt like God was calling them to adopt the baby girl. The adoption process in Bolivia takes a very long time. Now, nearly three years later, Carmen and Miguel are still working to adopt Juanita. They continue to fight for her through all of the difficulties of the adoption process and through all of the difficulties of Juanita’s worsening heart condition. Carmen shared, “I will fight for her until the end. God sent her to be my daughter.”
Carmen and Miguel knew that Juanita suffered from a serious heart condition called anomalous pulmonary venous drainage or APVD. Patients with this condition need to undergo a complex surgery to re-route the pulmonary venous return to the left atrium. Fortunately, Carmen and Miguel found help through the Incor Hospital, the Puente de Solidaridad Pediatric Heart Surgery Program, and the Goff Gift Fund. With this support, they were able to schedule Juanita for surgery on February 17, 2020.
Bolivian surgeons Dr. Barrientos and Dr. Jaldin performed the surgery to correct the blood flow in Juanita’s heart. She was released from the hospital one week after surgery. Carmen and Miguel can celebrate this significant victory in Juanita’s life while they continue in the fight to become Juanita’s official adoptive parents.