Rumi
Rumi, and his mother, Ana, share a room in the home of his maternal grandparents in Cochabamba, Bolivia. They live together with Rumi’s grandparents, as well as four aunts and uncles. Rumi and Ana have a small living space from which they operate a small store selling school supplies. The family has few economic resources. The schools in Cochabamba have been closed for over a year due to the pandemic. As a result, their small store has suffered severe financial losses. Rumi’s father has never taken responsibility for child support. Rumi’s mother, along with his aunts and uncles have worked together to cover their living expenses.
In the past, Rumi showed signs of agitation and fatigue. His mother was very worried about Rumi’s health and feared that his health would worsen as he got older.
In an interview with Puente de Solidaridad social workers, Ana shared, “At the start of this year, Rumi had a stomach infection and was vomiting. I took him to the doctor who detected a heart murmur and referred us to a cardiologist. I was so frightened. Since that time, we have been collecting money with my family and we have saved what we can afford. I hope that we can work together.”
A cardiologist in Cochabamba diagnosed Rumi with Atrial Septal Defect and informed the family that the child would need heart surgery to correct the congenital heart defect.
Rumi and his family were fortunate to receive support and accompaniment from the Puente de Solidaridad Children’s Heart Program as well as the Goff Gift Fund. In late July, he underwent a successful surgery to close the opening in heart and was released from the hospital a few days later.