Joey: Waiting for Heart Surgery

When he was born, Baby Joey appeared to be healthy, and his parents and older siblings were excited to welcome him to the world. However, at two months of age, he became very ill with pneumonia. Sadly, Joey developed an abnormal heartbeat and never seemed to fully recover.

At four months old, Joey was referred to a cardiologist. Doctors informed his worried parents that he has a Tetralogy of Fallot, a serious condition requiring open heart surgery. The care that Joey needs is not available in his home country of Uganda. While his father works hard to support the family, his salary as a cook cannot support the cost of heart surgery overseas for his precious son.

Desperate for help, Joey’s parents placed a notice in the national newspaper asking for assistance. There was no response.

Feeling discouraged, they made flyers and distributed them, hoping this might bring an answer to their prayers. It just so happened that an LWB team member saw the flyer and immediately contacted the family with instructions on how to apply for Love Without Boundaries’ international cardiac program. Joey, now one-year-old, is still operable, and we are honored to be able to stand with him and his family during their time of need during this week’s 7 Hearts, 7 Days campaign.

Because heart surgery is unavailable to Joey in his home country of Uganda, we’re working to raise funds for him and a parent to travel to our partner hospital, Amrita Hospital, in India. A total of $10,000 is needed to cover the costs of Joey’s surgery, pre-op and post-op evaluations and care, travel, and accommodations during the several weeks that he is expected to be in India.

Joey’s parents are overjoyed that their precious son has the opportunity to have the surgery he needs to survive and thrive. Will you join us and help make his life-saving surgery a reality?

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