Yestro
Daniela, 32, became a single mother at age 22 when the father of her baby, Yestro, abandoned the young family. When Yestro was two months old, the pediatrician at his well child check-up noticed that he turned blue and struggled to breathe when he cried, and referred him for a heart evaluation. With help from the Kardiozentrum Foundation based in the family’s hometown of La Paz, Bolivia, Daniela took Yestro to Cochabamba for his first heart surgery in 2013. His condition was closely monitored, but his health gradually declined. At a check-up in mid-2023, his doctors were very concerned to find 10-year-old Yestro severely underweight and short for his age, with no energy or stamina. His heart was struggling, and Yestro needed another surgery as soon as possible.
Yestro’s half-sister, Miriam, was also born with a heart defect, for which she underwent surgery in early March of this year. Yestro’s stepfather said he could not contribute to the cost of another child’s heart surgery in the same year, also arguing that Yestro is not his biological son and therefore he is not responsible for him. Daniela was desperate, and turned to her siblings and everyone she knew for support. She also asked the social workers at Puente de Solidaridad if the Solidarity Bridge Heart Program, which had supported Miriam’s surgery, could help with Yestro’s care. By pulling together resources from multiple sources including the Goff Family Fund, Yestro was able to undergo his surgery in June at the Los Angeles Clinic in Cochabamba.
Daniela is thrilled to have both of her children with renewed energy, able to go to school and thrive as they should. Thank you to all who have supported her family.