Nelly
Nelly lives with her older brother, her parents, and her grandmother in the grandmother’s home in Cobija, the capital city of the department of Pando, Bolivia. She was born in 2021 at the local hospital of the Caja Nacional, a workers healthcare system in Bolivia.
As the months went by after Nelly joined the family, her parents grew concerned that she didn’t put on as much weight as she should. Although she was happy and loved to interact with her family, she tired quickly. The pediatrician told her parents that Nelly might have a heart problem, but didn’t offer follow-up to address it. Despite having health insurance, Nelly’s parents had to pay out of pocket for the studies to confirm a diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which is the failure of the artery between her heart and lung to close after birth. She needed a surgery that the Caja Nacional insurance does not offer, and for months no one they consulted could direct them to an affordable option. So in October 2022 they were overjoyed to learn about a free heart screening clinic in Cobija sponsored by two nonprofits, Puente de Solidaridad and Herzverein. There, volunteer cardiologists confirmed the diagnosis and referred Nelly for urgent surgery to avoid further compromising her health. The family would need to travel across the country for care, but with help from both nonprofits, they were able to schedule the surgery in the new year at the Belga Clinic in Cochabamba. On January 17, 2023, a surgeon inserted a catheter through a vein to place a tiny patch to seal the hole in Nelly’s heart. She was discharged in good health the next day, and the family is now back home in Cobija.