Luk – Age 1 – Honduras

Luk was born prematurely, 7 weeks ahead of schedule. At just 3 weeks old, his pediatrician detected a heart murmur and diagnosed him with both Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), or holes between his heart’s upper and lower chambers. During his first year of life, Luk would get sick nearly every month and was hospitalized for pneumonia and other ailments due to his heart condition and immature lungs. Open heart surgery was needed to correct these defects, but Honduras lacks specialized medical care and Luk’s parents could not afford this expensive treatment. As luck would have it, Children’s Memorial Hermann cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Jorge Salazar, happened to be in attendance at a wedding with Luk’s Honduran doctor, where they connected over children with heart defects. Dr. Salazar told his new friend of HeartGift, and Luk was referred and accepted for life-saving care. After arriving in Houston, Luk underwent open-heart surgery, and his defect was completely corrected. Just a few weeks later, Luk returned to Honduras with a fully functioning heart, and a lifetime of hope and opportunity. Luk and his mom are happy to be reunited with dad and big sister!