Nayeli's Surgery

After Waiting Five Years, A Little Girl Can Live Normally

Nayeli, a beautiful 7-year-old girl, lives with her family in Manta, Manabi, a town on the north west coast of Ecuador. Since she was 7 months old, when Nayeli was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, she has been waiting for surgery. On Sunday, she traveled 4 hours in a bus with her family to Hospital del Nino Bustamante, even though they did not know if she would be accepted into surgery.

As her mother told us, “she and her family only had hope.” When they came into the hospital and MKI’s team saw Nayeli, her smile was contagious. You’ll see her infectious smile in the video below, after she has had surgery and is receiving another echocardiogram.

At home in Manta, Nayeli use to have a dog named Negra.

But because of her health, the local doctors advised her that she should give Negra away. Having a heart that poorly circulates her body’s blood for it to be oxygenated, has not just taken a toll on her health but has taken away precious childhood experiences.

She told us that she always wanted to be a normal kid and do things like run, play soccer, and swim; but even walking for a short period of time, left her feeling tired and needing rest.  Dr. Gilbert is optimistic about how much Nayeli’s health and quality of life will improve after the surgery.

As with so many other pediatric cardiac cases, Nayeli’s condition was diagnosed when she was a baby and the local doctors told her family that she would have to wait at least five years for an operation.  Operating on infants is more complicated and requires Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) resources that MKI brings along on these types of surgical missions. And these are the types of resources that MKI is helping the local doctors develop for themselves, so that other children will not have their surgeries delayed like Nayeli.

After surgery she is feeling a lot better—breathing

is easier, she is able to stand up without shortness of breath and she is looking forward to becoming strong enough where she can play with her friends and family. Having traveled hundreds of miles from the coast of Ecuador on the faith that she would be selected to have this life saving surgery, Nayeli and her mom are looking forward to going home.

Her mom said that she is “grateful to the doctor and everyone who helped. It is a miracle that she will grow up a healthy girl now.”

-Zak Kidd