Meet Mia!
Mia, or Martina as her parents call her, is a three year old girl from Bolivia! Mia was diagnosed with with a congenital heart disease and Trisomy 21 at birth. Ventricular septal defect, or a VSD, is a hole in the lower chambers of the heart. This condition causes rapid breathing, excessive sweating, poor weight gain, and fatigue.
Mia lives with her mother, who is training to become a doctor, and her father, who is a chef. She has two older sisters, sixteen and twenty-one years old. Mia loves to listen to music, dance, and was just beginning to talk when she was at the hospital for her surgery in September.
Mia at Hospital del Niño in La Paz, Bolivia.
In June of 2024, Mia was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia. Mia suffered from a nosebleed that lasted two hours, prompting her parents to take her to the doctor. Mia’s family worried that she would not survive the chemotherapy treatments due to her heart disease and the strain these treatments would put on her body.
Mia in Hospital del Niño.
After seven chemotherapy treatments, Mia beat cancer! The doctors cleared Mia for her heart healing surgery at Hospital del Niño. Mia received her surgery in September of 2025, thanks to the collaboration from our global network of partners and the work from the dedicated visiting and local teams.
Mia is a true heart warrior! We are honored to be a part of her journey to a healed heart and a normal life!
Social Media Consultant for Gift of Life International
