Abrandy Collado Surgery Fund, Dominican Republic

End Date: Aug 1, 2017 12:00 AM

Volunteers Around the World is raising funds to cover the heart surgery of Abrandy from Dominican Republic. It is our goal to raise at least $15,000 to cover Abrandy's surgery, transportation and recovery. Read Abrandy's story below!

Abrandy Collado and her family live a small town outside of Jarabacoa in the Dominican Republic, where medical care is very limited. When Abrandy was 1 month old, her parents realized she was turning blue and purple and it was very hard for her to breath. They desperately raced to the hospital for help, but when the doctors saw the little baby they said that there was nothing they could do with the resources available at the local hospital, so they put her on oxygen and sent her to the bigger hospital in Santiago, a city 45 mins away.

Since the family had no money and no medical insurance, they had to go to the public hospital. Abrandy was hospitalized for 20 days. After, her parents received the news that they would not be able to fix Abrandy’s heart problem because the public hospital didn’t have the technology or the resources for the operation.

Abrandy’s parents were sent back home with their tiny baby, just waiting for the child to die due to lack of oxygen. Soon after, one doctor called them and sent the family to a private clinic so Abrandy could receive a catheterization. It temporarily relieved the issue and Abrandy got a little bit better; however, her heart problem is still present and puts her life at a constant risk.

Initially, the doctors said she Abrandy could not live longer than 1 year. She is now 3 years old.

When she came to Volunteers Around the World’s clinic, the doctors noted that her fingers and lips were purple. Her fingers are in a drum-like shape. She gets tired of walking more than 10 steps.

Luckily, it is a problem that can be fixed at a medical center in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Domincain Republic.

Abrandy is a beautiful and joyful little girl. She will be able to live if we all help her by making the surgery possible.

Please consider donating. Any amount will help!