Mara
Mara and her 12-year-old sister have lived with their paternal grandmother, María, for the past three years at her home in Trinidad, Beni, in northern Bolivia. Their father works on a remote cattle ranch, sending home about $100 a month to feed his daughters. Grandma María sells bread to cover utilities, with nothing left for other expenses. The girls’ mother lives nearby but doesn’t visit or contribute to the their upbringing.
After Mara began to suffer persistent headaches and chest pain, she was diagnosed with pulmonary stenosis, a valve disorder that makes it difficult for blood to flow from the heart to the lungs. Grandma María reached out to the extended family to collect money for the long bus ride to take Mara to see a specialist in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. On November 1st, 2024, doctors at Clinica las Americas successfully inserted a balloon device through a catheter to expand the valve between Mara’s heart and lungs. A month later, Mara reported breathing better, without the frightening chest pains.