By Carolina Churchill | Missions and Operations Director
Having assessed that the medical teams at Latin American hospitals strengthened by our previous GlobalGiving projects were secure in their capacity for providing heart care for infants and children, Surgeons of Hope has begun our next phase with a new GlobalGiving project initiative. In accordance with our vision for creating a network of pediatric heart care throughout Latin America, and mindful of pandemic travel restrictions, we turned our attention to Paraguay and the Department of Pediatric Cardiology at Hospital Pediátrico Niños de Acosta Ñu in San Lorenzo, Paraguay.
Paraguay offered the perfect next step in the Surgeons of Hope program of collaboration, leading us to accept the invitation of Dr. Nancy Garay, Chief of the hospital’s pediatric cardiac department. We found a gifted medical staff and have benefited from regular reports furnished by Dr. Chantal Real. Her reports demonstrate that our intense collaborative efforts are working well and that children are receiving developed-world medical care close to home.
Your GlobalGiving donation, large or small, has supported many successful surgeries and valuable collaborations in recent months, including diagnosis and consultations.
A newborn baby, 15 days of age, suffered from major arteries needing relocation. The complex operation in January was a complete success. The baby’s mother, Mariela, took her baby home to grow into a normal childhood.
Patients helped in January and experiencing no complications ranged from 15 days to 23 years of age. More patients followed whose records indicate representative ages of from 3 to 7 years, many benefiting from catheterization procedures to correct abnormalities. All of the children are home now.
To continue amazing progress in Paraguay, we need to provide supplies in the form of the usual small but essential items such as surgical masks. Dr. Real has also let us know of the critical need for devices to deliver intravenous medicines. As you can imagine, supplies dwindle rapidly.
We remain grateful to you, our loyal GlobalGiving donors. We count on your help to continue our progress toward realizing the life-altering future envisioned by Surgeons of Hope.
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