Matias – Age 1 – Honduras

Despite desperately wanting to grow her family, Mariela was unable to maintain a healthy pregnancy and take it to full term. Matias is Mariela’s and her husband’s miraculous “rainbow baby” – born after many miscarriages and even more tears. Unfortunately, Matias arrived prematurely at 35 weeks and was diagnosed with two holes in his tiny heart. He desperately needed surgery, but it was not available in Honduras.

After numerous hospitalizations for pneumonia during the first five months of life, Matias’ mom reached out and HeartGift stepped in. The pair traveled 1,300 miles to San Antonio to begin his medical journey with HeartGift’s wonderful medical partners at University Health. An operating team successfully closed the holes in the 11-month-old’s heart. Today, he is motoring around like toddlers do playing with trucks, trains, and cars.