Solidarity Bridge

OPEN HEART

RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE

Heart disease is a leading cause of death and suffering in Bolivia. Bolivia has the third highest rate of rheumatic heart disease in the world. Many who had rheumatic fever when young and lived through the illness, find their heart severely damaged. They often develop rheumatic heart disease. To survive, they desperately need open heart surgery involving heart valve replacement. However, in Bolivia, an open heart surgery costs over $12,000. Though this sum is much less expensive than the cost of surgery in the U.S., it is well beyond the means of all but the wealthiest Bolivians. The majority of Bolivians earn under $1,000 a year making a surgery to save their life an utter impossibility.

OPEN HEART SURGERY PROGRAM

Solidarity Bridge addresses the problem of rheumatic heart disease and other serious congenital heart conditions (like little Valentina's in the above photo) requiring open heart surgery. In partnership with the Goff Gift Fund, we provide surgery for children through our Kids’ Heart Repair Program. We provide surgery for adults through our Adult Open Heart Surgery Program. Working with local Bolivian cardiac surgeons and their teams, Solidarity Bridge saves the lives of roughly 25 people a year.

PACEMAKER

CHAGAS DISEASE

Chagas is usually spread by an insect that infests mud, adobe, or thatched houses and kills more than 14,000 people a year in Latin America. Bolivia is the worst infected country, where half of the population is at risk, mostly those who live in poverty and in rural areas. 1.8 million Bolivians are infected, including over 300,000 children under 12. Chagas disease accounts for thirteen percent of all deaths in the nation. Chagas heart-related problems include an enlarged heart, altered heart rate or rhythm, heart failure, or cardiac arrest. Heart issues like this cause patients pain and fatigue so severe they often can’t even get out of bed and they eventually die. When the heart is this damaged, a pacemaker is needed to stabilize the heart and prevent heart failure. Click here to read more about Chagas and our new Doctors Without Borders Partnership!

PACEMAKER PROGRAM

Our Pacemaker Program saves over 150 lives a year!

Since 2001, we have implanted over 1,000 pacemakers in suffering Bolivians. The Medtronic Corp is our staunch partner in these efforts. Medtronic is the largest pacemaker company in the U.S. and each year donates to us hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of pacemakers and other related heart surgical supplies to save the lives of those living in poverty. In 2011, we expanded the Pacemaker Program to Paraguay to serve those living in poverty with various heart ailments.