Meybel
Meybel has a smile with the power to light up hearts. She is a happy ten-year-old girl who enjoys school in her home city of Santa Cruz. Maybel is Luyana’s oldest daughter. She has never met her father, nor anyone from his side of the family. Maybel, her mom, and two younger siblings, who she adores, live together at her sibling’s grandfather’s house.
Meybel has had health problems since very early in her life. When she was 5 months old, doctors told Luyana that Meybel had a heart murmur. But they also said that this would likely heal as she grew up. At that time, Luyana moved with her mother to Yapacaní, a rural town of the Department of Santa Cruz. When Meybel was two, she suffered two fainting episodes. Luyana was told those things sometimes happen to children. At five, Maybel began to turn bluish, a condition that her mother learned was caused by Meybel’s low blood oxygen levels. Luyana did not have the economic means to take her to see a doctor. Last year, Meybel contracts chickenpox and became very ill. Luyana and her kids were living in Santa Cruz city, so she took Meybel to the hospital where, among other things, they diagnosed Meybel suffered from Tetralogy of Fallot.
Tetralogy of Fallot is a rare congenital condition caused by the combination of four heart defects: pulmonary valve stenosis, ventricular septal defect, overriding aorta, and right ventricular hypertrophy. Meybel’s mom was told that her daughter needed surgery to correct all four defects.
Luyana roughly makes US $90 a month cleaning houses. The father of Meybel’s siblings provides an additional US $110. With that combined income, Luyana can feed her children, pay bills, and transportation expenses. Healthcare is a luxury she cannot afford. The thought of the need of a complex and life-threatening heart surgery for her baby girl was overwhelming. Even more so the question of where she would obtain the necessary funds to cover medical expenses.
Dr. Jaldín and Dr. Barrientos of Incor Hospital told Luyana of Puente de Solidaridad. She approached Puente’s offices to inquire, holding out hope. After a socio-economic evaluation, home visits, and consultations with doctors, Meybel was admitted to Solidarity Bridge Heart Program for Children.
Meybel’s health was delicate, but strong enough to have the surgery she needed to save her life. Her corrective surgery for the Tetralogy of Fallot was performed early February of 2020. She is recuperating well. Meybel is expected to live a relatively normal life. She will likely need regular medical care throughout her life and maybe some limitations on exercise. But Meybel’s smile will keep on lightening hearts.