Liam
Liam, the youngest of three children, spends a lot of time bouncing around the walls and bringing precious joy to his parents in their one bedroom apartment in Cochabamba, Bolivia. While he enjoys socializing and being physically active with other kids his age as any 3-year old child would, in the past few months, he recently had been growing noticeably more and more fatigued.
When Liam was born, doctors diagnosed him with a congenital heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot, or TOF. This condition occurs when four unique heart defects are present at birth results in poor oxygen circulation through the blood. This is the reason many patients born with TOF, like Liam, experience shortness of breath and fatigue when doing any sort of physical activity. While most kids born with the condition undergo surgery within their first year of life, Liam’s parents could not afford the complex surgery.
Liam’s parents had committed themselves to support their children by taking alternating shifts of work to care for them. Liam’s dad works in the morning selling fruits and vegetables that are in season, while his mother serves as a kitchen assistant in the afternoons. Unfortunately, despite their honest efforts to work, look after their children, and save what little money they can for medical care, the pandemic prevented them from seeking the necessary help to better Liam’s condition. Checkups and consulting with specialists were out of the question as they both focused on living day to day, paycheck to paycheck.
However, in spite of the dire situation they may have been placed in, doing what they can to put food on the table while also seeking medical help, Liam’s parents had been resilient in their efforts to improve his health. After receiving a referral to Puente de Solidaridad and Herzverein, they had their socio-economic situation assessed. Liam’s doctors said that he must undergo open-heart surgery as soon as possible to avoid long-term issues and even more severe consequences. With what the parents had managed to save together and with the support of our generous donors, they made the decision to move from their apartment in the city of Pando to Cochabamba where they could finally have Liam undergo the necessary surgery. Towards the end of November, Liam successfully underwent the surgery through our Children’s Heart Program. He was able to return home by the first week of December, just in time for the holidays. The parents are eternally grateful for the help received and Liam is most definitely back to bringing positive energy into others’ lives.