Katharina
Abraham and Katharina live in the Mennonite North Colony of Cuatro Cañadas, 60 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. In May of 2017, Katharina gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl and gave them the names Abram and Katharina. As infants, Abram thrived, while Katharina was fragile and frequently ill. Katharina soon became pregnant with her fourth child. Meanwhile, baby Katharina’s symptoms continued to worsen. Abraham and Katharina traveled to Santa Cruz and sought the help of cardiologists at the Incor Hospital. Baby Katharina underwent a series of tests which revealed she suffered from a group of congenital heart defects referred to as Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). TGA is a birth defect in which the placement of the pulmonary artery and the aorta are switched. Doctors told Katharina and Abraham that a surgical procedure called the Mustard procedure could correct these defects and greatly increase their daughter’s lifespan.
As a subsistence farmer, Abraham was not sure how they could afford this surgery ad they prepared for the birth of their fourth child. Abraham and Katharina were informed of an upcoming medical mission trip with U.S. surgeons from the Texas Children’s Hospital. Additionally, an interview with social workers from Puente de Solidaridad confirmed their eligibility for financial support through the Goff Gift Fund. With all of this support in place, baby Katharina was approved for surgery on September 3, 2019. U.S. and Bolivian surgeons worked side-by-side to create an artificial tunnel between the atria in Katharina’s heart, redirecting the oxygen-rich blood to the right ventricle and aorta and the oxygen-poor blood to the left ventricle and the pulmonary artery. The surgery was a success and four days later Katharina was released from the hospital and into the care of her large and loving family.