Daniela has two beautiful children, both born with congenital heart defects. Their symptoms are treatable through surgery, but for her family living on a modest income, the care they needed was beyond their means.

Valentine’s Day imagery takes our minds to the patients of our Kids Heart Program. In 2021, 37 children and young adults received cardiac surgery through our program. Here are just two stories that will warm your heart today. We share them with immense gratitude for all of our donors, staff, and medical partners who together make these surgeries possible.

A first of its kind diagnostic campaign screened more than 60 children for congenital heart diseases in the city of Tarija.

We remember and celebrate the life-giving legacy of Isaac Goff, entrepreneur, philanthropist and cherished mission partner.

Operating in this pandemic poses greater risks to patients, and to their medical teams in the operating room. And yet, care must continue. As surgeries resume in our programs, safety is our top priority.

Despite the postponement of surgeries, our program remained active during these long months. Social workers maintained contact with patients and in July, our pacemaker control clinics re-opened to provide regular monitoring.

Nothing symbolizes Valentine’s Day quite like a heart; so today we would like to share with you some heartwarming stories of our pediatric heart patients.

A recent collaborative effort provided life-saving heart procedures for 23 pediatric patients at the beginning of September.

There is more to healing than simply providing an operation. During their internships with our partner organization, Puente de Solidaridad, two Bolivian social work students learned to offer true solidarity to patients and families in the face of complex medical challenges.

A healthy heartbeat is something that pacemaker patients like Patricia can never take for granted. Once patients receive an implant through Solidarity Bridge, we commit to their permanent, lifetime follow-up care.

“Helping a Heart to Beat,” a surgical campaign made possible by the coordinated effort of five distinct organizations, took place April 17-19 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. A true example of solidarity, the campaign served 12 children with congenital heart defects through a high-tech procedure using cardiac catheterization.

In 2016, US missioner Dr. Joseph Wu, an electrophysiologist from UCLA Medical Center, traveled to Santa Cruz to work alongside our Bolivian partners at San Juan de Dios Hospital. The trip helped to integrate St. Jude Medical, a new corporate donor, into our Pacemaker Program. Dr. Wu accompanied staff on home visits with patients and their families. Here are a few of their stories.