Kent from Nicaragua. He had a VSD-Ventricular Septal Defect of his heart. A hole in the septum wall that separates the left and right ventricals of the heart. He was almost 7 month at arrival in May 20, 2006 but the size of a 3 month old. He had his surgery the first week of July and went home in August with the prospect of living a full healthy life.

Jairo David from Nicaragua. He was 16 upon arrival in 2000 with bilateral club feet. He had been told that the only correction was amputation, but after 5 surgeries and 14 months later, he went back home. Now at the age of 25, he is completing his first year of University in Nicaragua.

NOVAN RAY UTLANG. It was a long trip from the island of Cebu in the Philippines for escort Erica and Novan but both arrived safe and sound in July, 2007. Just 18 months old, Novan had surgery for a congenital Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) along with a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) which was closed at the same time. After only 3 days in the hospital Novan was soon back with his foster parents, Martnie and Bob, trying to fill those big shoes. He was a 100% cheery, dear child who loved playing outside with anything having to do with water and the hose. Perhaps this came from his home environment which was built on stilts on the beach. He continued to heal and gain weight and was able to return to his parents in September, escorted again by Erica who raised nearly $3000 for her airline ticket. His home-coming was met by 30 people who celebrated his return with a traditional pig roast.

RODNEY BORLAND. Rodney came to Wisconsin from Belize on a medical transport on the very brink of death due to severe bed sores caused by his inability to move after a gun shot wound to his spine during a robbery of his parents' small store. He spent over 8 months in the hospital where he received intensive antibiotic treatment for massively infected sores (close to 15 different areas), and had several surgeries to remove infected tissue. His smile prevailed through it all. His foster parents, Joe and Sara Roman, remained by his side, even arranging for a tutor so that he could keep up with his school work. When Rodney returned to his home of Punta Gorda in Belize, he was a fantastic advocate of handicapped space, working to provide access in his school and many other areas. Which brings me to the GREAT NEWS of Rodney's graduation as relayed by Patricia, a nurse in the clinic there....

SILVANA. Seventeen year old Silvana arrived from Albania on August 9, 2007 to her foster parents and cousins, Silvana and Artan Kristo. We were so happy to be able to help her as her only brother and sister had already died of the same problem. Her sister had recently had a renal transplant in Pakistan after presenting with renal failure but sorrowfully died 6 weeks later. You can imagine the fear and hope her parents had when they sent their now only child to the United States. Silvana had developed recurrent febrile pyelonephritis about 4 years ago. When she had her evaluation here it was found that she had reflux nephropathy (and several other complicated diagnoses), which Dr. Balcom thankfully was able to surgically correct. Thanks to the ‘persistence’ and tremendous help from her cousin (big Silvana as we called her), she is now expected to have a normal life.

SCOTT COLEMAN who is suffering from a brain tumor. (pictured are Scott and his brother). We often hear the question, “Do you help children in our own country?” To this we answer a definite yes. As a child is brought to our attention, usually by someone we know who is close to the situation, we assess the needs and generally we are able to give a monetary donation to help with travel expenses, lodging, equipment or medication needs. This year we were able to help a little boy from Iowa by the name of Scott Coleman

JORGE RAMIREZ HERNANDEZ. Jorge, a 16 year old boy from Guatemala, has been on the waiting list for nearly 3 years. Jorge’s surgeon, Dr. Balcom, actually found this young man while on a mission trip. He finally arrived on the 4th of July, 2008 to foster parents Joe and Sara Roman. Jorge has a hernia that needs repair and has issues with hypospadias and incontinence. Upon evaluation it was discovered that his pelvic bones are too far apart and must be repaired or this will cause his hernia to recur due to lack of support. His surgery is scheduled for Sept. 24. In the meantime, Jorge has made friends with some boys down the block who, coincidently, speak fluent Spanish. He also spends time riding his bike and playing on the computer. Since he will be here for several months, Sara has enrolled him in the West Allis school district which he LOVES!

(JENNIFER) VANESSA. Jennifer, who likes to be called Vanessa, first came to the US in April of 2000 where she had surgery for ambiguous genitalia and was diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. She was deficient in cortisone so she was prescribed hydrocortisone which she must take permanently. Because of communication difficulties, the great distance between her family and HTC, and the inability for her parents to obtain this medication in Nicaragua, there were times when Vanessa was without her medication. As a result, she had an episode in June of 2006 when she had to be hospitalized in Managua with acute renal insufficiency and needed hydrocortisone shots to stabilize her. Because of the breaks in Vanessa’s medication and the fact that she was nearly 12 years old, we decided to bring her back to be re-evaluated. She arrived in Oct. of 2007. The endocrinologist and urologist were very happy to see her. Despite the challenges she went through, they felt that her original surgery looked great and she should have no future problems. We obtained one year of medication for her and she returned to her family before Christmas.