This is my niece Wella, a beautiful, smart young girl who lives in Candau-ay, Dumaguete in the Philippines with her Mom (Sally Jean), Dad (Kim), and her sister Kate.  Wella is 13 years old and hopes to be a doctor one day.

At the beginning of September Sally Jean received a call from Wella’s school teacher advising her that Wella was having difficulty breathing and was experiencing chest and abdominal pains.  Wella was taken to a doctor to find out what was wrong.  Since then, Wella has had two more similar episodes at school and at home.  In the last week of September Wella’s parents were advised by the doctor that Wella has an enlarged heart and a condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), which is an unclosed hole in the aorta of the heart.

Before a baby is born, the fetus's blood does not need to go to the lungs to get oxygenated because the baby gets oxygen from the mother. The ductus arteriosus is a hole that allows the blood to skip the circulation to the lungs.  However, when the baby is born, the blood must receive oxygen in the lungs and this hole is supposed to close and usually does shortly after birth.  If the ductus arteriosus is still open (or patent) the blood may skip this necessary step of circulation. The open hole is called the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). If the PDA is small, it doesn't make the heart and lungs work harder so surgery and other treatments may not be needed.  Small PDAs often close on their own within the first few months of life.  The only abnormal finding may be a distinctive type of murmur (noise heard with a stethoscope). 

During a check-up when Wella was still a baby, the doctor said that her heartbeat was irregular, but no further follow-up was done.   Up until now, Wella had not experienced any problems.

The doctor has now advised that Wella requires surgery as soon as possible to close this hole.  If left untreated, a large patent ductus arteriosus can allow poorly oxygenated blood to flow in the wrong direction, weakening the heart muscle and causing heart failure and other complications.   Wella is currently taking medication to help her.

Wella will have to travel to Manila to have the surgery which will require someone to go with her and stay in Manila while she is in the hospital.

In addition, Wella’s eleven-year-old sister Kate has recently experienced similar episodes at school.  Kate has seen the doctor who detected a heart murmur and is now sending her for an echocardiogram to determine if she has the same condition as Wella.  We are hoping and praying that she does not.

Both of Wella's parents work - her Mom is a teacher and her Dad works in the agriculture industry as a B-MEG technician.  Mom and Dad are able to provide the necessities of life for their children - clothes, food on the table and a roof over their heads.  There isn't a lot of money left for extras and they aren't extravagant people.  The news of Wella's condition has been devastating to her parents, but knowing they don't have the money to pay for the surgery to make their "little girl" well again is heartbreaking.

Although the Philippine government is moving toward universal health care, it has not been fully accomplished yet.  For now, it’s buyer (patient) pays and major surgery is very expensive for the people who live there.

I am so fortunate to live in Canada where I know if anything like this should happen to my son Joshua, he would have access to the necessary medical care that is not so readily available to his cousin Wella in the Philippines.

Wella needs this life-saving surgery, but her parents need help to be able to pay for the surgery as well as the airfare and accommodation in Manila.  Any contribution you can make - no matter how big or small will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your support.