Daniela has two beautiful children, both born with congenital heart defects. Their symptoms are treatable through surgery, but for her family living on a modest income, the care they needed was beyond their means.

Both the Chagas disease scenario and the cardiac health field have greatly evolved since our Pacemaker Program began over 20 years ago. Dr. Marta Vakulenko of Los Angeles, USA, and Dr. Paola Rodriguez of Cochabamba, Bolivia, represent a new generation of surgeons who will continue to build our bridge to care for cardiac rhythm patients into the coming decades.

A first of its kind diagnostic campaign screened more than 60 children for congenital heart diseases in the city of Tarija.

Despite the postponement of surgeries, our program remained active during these long months. Social workers maintained contact with patients and in July, our pacemaker control clinics re-opened to provide regular monitoring.

Nothing symbolizes Valentine’s Day quite like a heart; so today we would like to share with you some heartwarming stories of our pediatric heart patients.

A recent collaborative effort provided life-saving heart procedures for 23 pediatric patients at the beginning of September.