"I had no hope," Jorge Luis said, "I had no access for an operation like this, and you made it possible."

GUATEMALA CITY – Jorge Luis was only 12 years old when he learned that something was wrong with his heart.

Doctors told him that his heart valves were not working properly. At the time, he hardly knew how the condition would affect his life. He was able to run and play with the other kids, although he would get tired a little more easily.

It wasn’t until he was a father of three girls and 42 years old that his heart really posed a risk. When he sought medical care for his symptoms, it became apparent that he needed heart surgery. Jorge Luis counted himself lucky to have medical insurance to cover the cost of the expensive procedure.

But then, 12 years later, the symptoms returned. One day his eyes clouded over while he was walking down the street and he suddenly fainted.

Jorge Luis and his wife, Maria, knew that he would likely need another heart surgery, but this time the now grandfather was unemployed and without insurance.

But there was an even greater complication. Only a few months earlier, the general hospital could not perform the very surgery that Jorge Luis needed because they had run out of the expensive supplies for the valve replacement.

But thanks to a timely medical donation coordinated by Operation Blessing, the hospital received a supply of mitral valves, annuloplasty rings, and other surgical supplies—so when Jorge Luis arrived needing emergency surgery, they were prepared for him.

“I had no hope,” Jorge Luis said, “I had no access for an operation like this, and you made it possible.”

Three months after his surgery, Jorge Luis is well on his way to full health, with a simple word of thanks to those who made it possible. “I will be grateful with every beat of my heart,” he said.

Thanks to the donation, the general hospital in Guatemala City is now able to provide open heart surgery for 60 patients like Jorge Luis.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI's ongoing medical relief efforts by making an online contribution to help those suffering from extreme poverty and sickness.

 

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