MFO Then and Now: Dieuliphete’s Heart

Many of you know the story of our sweet Chervillus Dieuliphete, who was left with us at age 5 when his own family was unable to care for him, so we welcomed him into ours. He will be 11 this upcoming year and has never been stronger – most recently winning the “handstand walk-off” competition during a Field Day Event this December against our special guest, Reebok sponsored athlete – Ashley Horner.

But he wasn’t always this healthy. What we didn’t know when Dieuliphete joined us was that he was born with a congenital heart disease that makes it hard for his heart to pump oxygenated blood to the rest of his body. We learned of his condition through our partnership with the Eastern Virginia Medical School HaitiHOPES group. A group of medical volunteers diagnosed the problem during their visit in March of 2014. They informed us that his heart would require surgery to correct. EVMS then put us in touch with Partners in Health-Haiti and their teaching hospital in Mirebalais, about a 1-hour drive from the Orphanage. The group in Mirebalais connected us with a medical organization in Port au Prince called Haiti Cardiac and through fate and networking, Dieuliphete was flown to the Cayman Islands where his surgery was performed.  Returning to us safely, he had his final check-up with the Haiti Cardiac in Mirebalais this past July – the result is a heart-healthy Dieuliphete!!  He works hard each day, not taking his second chance at life for granted! He is a considerate, helpful, and brave boy who is full of smiles and acrobatics. We are thankful for the many teams that worked with us to make him healthy again! We know Dieuliphete will make us all proud!!