Margarita
Margarita is thirteen years old and lives in the small town of Montero, on the outskirts of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. She is the oldest of the three children of Basilio and Miguelina. She goes to school and attempts to lead a normal life, but her health has been fragile for some time now due to restricted blood flow between her right ventricle and pulmonary artery.
Margarita’s father is a bus driver and her mother sells fruit at the market. With this income, they can barely cover their rent, food, education for the children, and basic expenses. When doctors informed Basilio and Miguelina that their daughter needed a complicated heart surgery, they sought help from the Puente de Solidaridad Pediatric Heart Surgery Program. Fortunately, Margarita was included among the patients scheduled for surgery during a heart surgery mission program organized through a partnership with the Texas Children’s Hospital, the Incor Hospital, Puente de Solidaridad, and the Goff Gift Fund.
On September 5, Margarita underwent a successful valvuloplasty procedure at the Incor Hospital. She was released from the hospital the next day to the great relief of her loving parents and siblings. Her family is happy to see her recovering and regaining strength.