Ricardo
Seyer, 33, and Maria, 29, welcomed twins, Ricardo and Ricarda, just after Christmas in 2023. The babies have a six-year-old brother, and the household also includes their 71-year-old grandmother. Ricardo and Ricarda were born premature, so Maria quit her job to dedicate herself full-time to keeping them well fed and safe. When the twins were six months old, their pediatrician informed the parents that they each had poorly developed hearts. The family was referred to specialists in the distant city of Santa Cruz, but the cost of regular trips to the city made follow-up monitoring prohibitive. Seyer generates a moderate income as a veterinarian, but there is not much left over after feeding the family of six and paying the household bills.
When the twins began to walk, Ricardo in particular began to show the effects of patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA. He would tire quickly, and when Maria picked him up, she could feel his straining heartbeat. When they heard that Puente de Solidaridad was organizing a heart surgery campaign at Clinica Los Angeles in Santa Cruz, they rushed to sign up Ricardo to be considered for participation. He was a good candidate for a noninvasive procedure to patch his heart wall. The surgery was performed on February 25, and Ricardo was discharged the next day to continue his recovery at home.