HELP SAVE JIMENA'S LIFE

HELP SAVE JIMENA´S LIFE WITH HEART SURGERY

Hello family and friends, I want to share the story of my beautiful sister Yohana Jimena. She lives in Peru and is 26 years old. She was born with a heart disease called long QT syndrome, which causes irregular heartbeats and ventricular tachycardia, causing heart attacks, fainting and seizures, with the possibility of sudden death. To treat her, at age 6, doctors implanted a device called an Implantable Automatic Defibrillator; which stabilizes her heartbeat and emits electric shocks when she faints so that her heart starts beating again. She was the first girl to have this device implanted in Peru.

Newspaper publications about her first operation at age 6: First girl to be implanted with an Implantable Automatic Defibrillator in Peru

The device's battery runs out every 8 years, so Jimena has already had 3 operations in her life to implant new devices, the most recent being in 2020. Unfortunately, a red wound has appeared on the skin near the scar from his last operation, the doctor says the device has moved, causing an infection that could spread to more parts of his body and reducing the device's ability to save his life in the event of a heart attack.

The device has wires that connect to the heart through a vein; As time passes the wires stick to the heart. In Peru there is no technology necessary to extract the cables, which is why the old device without a battery remains on your body. The infection may continue to spread through these wires as well.

Jimena's X-ray

Implantable Automatic Defibrillator with cables

Jimena urgently needs to travel to the United States or Spain, undergo surgery to remove the device and its wires, stop the infection and implant a new device or other treatment, such as gene therapy or cardiac ablation.

Jimena has had a very difficult life but she has always fought for her life, 26 years old, she fainted, she stood up and continued... and now she is studying at the University and wants to get ahead, we have the faith to find a better treatment , is scared by the infection. Let's help her keep walking, beat this disease and have a promising future.