Romina
Romina is the fifth of six children of Maria and Sebastian. The family lives in the northern region of Cochambamba called Chapare, an area known for its rainforests, rivers, and beautiful valleys. For nearly one year, Maria and Sebastian have focused on raising money for Romina’s heart surgery. However, these efforts have been painful for the family knowing that they will never be able to raise enough money for Romina to have surgery in a private hospital and knowing that they cannot wait it out in the public health system. Romina is in need of urgent surgical care.
Seven-year-old Romina has Down Syndrome. While newborns typically have a 1% chance of having a heart defect at birth, for babies with Down Syndrome, that risk is much higher, nearly 50%. When Romina was three months old, doctors performed an echocardiogram and diagnosed her with ventricular septal defect. Doctors told Romina’s parents that she would probably need heart surgery to correct the VSD, but there was a chance it would eventually close on its own. Romina’s parents couldn’t afford the surgery and hoped the heart issue would heal naturally. However, Romina’s condition continued to worsen. Finally, Maria and Sebastian began raising money in earnest. During this time they were hopeful to learn about Puente de Solidaridad and the support provided through the Children’s Heart Surgery Program.
After home visits and interviews, Romina and her family received support for open-heart surgery at the Clinica Los Angeles in Cochabamba in December 2022. Romina remained in the hospital for one week before returning home to her large and loving family. We look forward to hearing of Romina’s continued recovery in the months ahead.