Flora (Update –February 10--11, 2019)

Flora

Baby Flora was introduced in December and that post describing her heart problem follows this post.

Flora’s father, Manelson, texted me today that Flora will have heart surgery tomorrow morning in Port-au-Prince.

Her echocardiogram reveals that Flora has multiple small holes in the cardiac septum which divides her two lower heart chambers (VSDs). She also has an open duct between her aorta and her pulmonary artery (PDA). This duct normally closes soon after birth. Because of these defects, Flora’s lungs receive way to much blood with every beat of her heart.

Flora is so little because many of her calories are consumed by her heart  which is beating extra hard due to the holes and the open duct. Tomorrow during surgery the open duct (PDA) will be tied off (ligated) and the main artery leaving her heart (Pulmonary Artery) will be banded which will decrease the amount of blood flow to her lungs.  After Flora gains weight over the next six to twelve months, she will undergo a second heart surgery to close the most significant hole(s) in the cardiac septum (VSD repair).

Please pray for Flora and for her parents as they travel to and from the hospital during the massive street protests happening now in Port-au-Prince.

Haitian Hearts thanks Haiti Cardiac Alliance and Dr. Samantha Lacossade for making this happen.

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December 6, 2018

Everyone, this is baby Flora. This little miss is 6 months old and weighs 8.5 pounds. She was born one month premature via C- section.

Flora lives with her dad and mom in Port-au-Prince. Due to the fact that she is so tiny, breathes fast, and has resting tachycardia, Flora had an echocardiogram last week. The echo shows that Flora’s heart muscle does not squeeze as hard as it should. She has a cardiomyopathy for an unknown reason.

As you can see, Flora is very alert. She takes fluids pretty well and is starting solid food.

Several days ago I contacted the Haitian physician who is the Clinical Coordinator for Haiti Cardiac Alliance in Port-au-Prince. I explained that Flora has a cardiac problem and needs a workup and treatment. The physician contacted Flora’s father and encouraged them to take the baby to a pediatric hospital in Port as soon as possible.

However, for the past few days, there are “roadblocks” in the neighborhood in which the family lives and so Flora and her parents have not been able to travel the short distance across Port to the hospital. They plan on trying again tomorrow.

This is yet another case where a Haitian child is sick with a significant medical problem and needs attention. But due to “structural problems” in a chaotic city, Flora is unable to get timely help. (Port-au-Prince has an estimated population of three million people and had numerous demonstrations in the streets two weeks ago.)

Please pray that Flora gets to the hospital tomorrow.

(Flora’s father, Manelson, had congenital heart disease when he was young and had heart surgery many years ago in Peoria. His wonderful host family from central Illinois keeps in touch with him and recently visited the family in Port-au-Prince and discovered that Flora was sick.)

John A. Carroll, MD

www.haitianhearts.org

 

Flora (February 11, 2019)

Baby Flora’s heart surgery was this morning in Port-au-Prince. She made it through surgery well and is in the recovery room in stable condition.

Everything is possible in Haiti–even during extremely difficult times like right now.

Please keep your prayers coming for Flora and her mother and father who are at her bedside.

 

John A. Carroll, MD

www.haitianhearts.org