Their hearts are our reason for being

under the world heart day, which we commemorated on September 29, Kardias undertook the task of contacting 10 families to monitor the health and development of 10 of the girls and boys whose hearts were operated on at the Kardias Program. These are some of the faces of our engine because their hearts are our reason for being.

The intention of reconnecting with these families, months or even years after the surgery, is to learn more about the dreams, tastes and daily experiences of the girls and boys now that their hearts have been repaired and that they lead a better life. We want to share with you some of these resilience stories, strength and hope, which inspire us to continue working every day and to give our best in order to continue providing more patients with the opportunity to heal and live a full life.

We thank all the mothers and fathers of these little hearts for letting us into their home a bit through the anecdotes and details they told us about their sons and daughters.

Andy

I am Andy and I am four years old. When I was three I had heart surgery because, when I was born, I had a little hole that needed to be fixed (Interventricular Communication). Since I recovered I feel stronger and more energetic, I have grown a lot and now I can do all the things I like like dancing, singing and playing. When I grow up I would like to be a veterinarian because I love animals.

Raymond

I am Ray and I was born with a different heart than yours. I am nine years old and I am in 5th grade. When I was five years old the doctors at Kardias repaired my heart and since then I have been able to run, exercise and play soccer because I love it! When I grow up I want to be a builder to build more hospitals where doctors help other girls and boys like they helped me.

elizabeth

I am Elizabeth, I am 11 years old and I was born with a different heart than yours. When I had surgery, I asked God to help me be healthy so that I could grow up and be a doctor, so I can heal the hearts of other children, as they did mine.

Aaron

I am Aaron and I am almost nine years old. I am in 4th grade. Three years ago the Kardias doctors operated on me because my heart worked differently from other children and that's why I felt bad. Today I have a pacemaker and can run, play soccer and basketball. I like to be affectionate with people!

Eliette

I am Eliette and I will be two years old on December 17. When I was three months old, they operated on me because my heart is different from yours. Today I can't stop running, smiling and dancing. My mom says that my nature is strong and inspiring and that every day I encourage my parents to not stop fighting. I am a brave heart!

Santiago

I am Santiago and I am going to be seven years old. I'm in the 3rd grade of kindergarten, the Kardias doctors operated on me six years ago to help my heart beat faster. Soon I will have another surgery because I want to be healthy. I really like swimming, animals and learning about cars.

Yue Fernanda

I am Yue Fernanda and I am four years old. I was born with a different heart than yours, so when I was one year old, the Kardias doctors operated on me and repaired it. Today I am older and I love playing with my friends and eating the bread that my grandfather makes at home because it is delicious.

Donovan

I am Donovan and I am four years old. When I was still a baby, the Kardias doctors operated on me because my heart worked differently from other children. Today I feel good and I love playing soccer. I am very serious and shy but if they put a ball in front of me, I immediately want to run to score a goal.

Andrea April

I am Andrea Abril and I am 14 years old. My heart is different from yours that's why when I was 11 the doctors at Kardias gave me surgery to make it work much better. Now I feel good and have energy to do everything I like.

Diego

I am Diego and I am almost two years old. My heart is different from yours and that's why when I was a baby the doctors at Kardias had to fix it with surgery. Today I can do almost everything my friends do. I really like to ride my bike and play with anything that has wheels, the ones I like the most are the vochitos, I even get excited when I see them on the street! I really like to laugh out loud and hug the people I love.