Cindy Jamileth Gomez Country of Origin: Laguna de Matederas, Honduras  DOB: 9/21/91  Aliment: Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)  A snowstorm welcomed little Cindy Gomez to the University of Alabama in Birmingham Medical Center on January 18, 1992.  This unusual occurrence almost stranded the young girl and her mother, Maria, at the airport that evening with their Heart to Heart hosts.  Luckily, an ambulance was available and immediately dispatched to pick up Heart to Heart's latest patient.  Cindy Gomez's long journey had begun days before in Laguana de Matederas, a small village tucked away in the mountains of Honduras.  Located seven miles away from the closest dirt road, Cindy's village is one of the last of the Xiququa tribe, a group that traces its ancestors back to the Mayan Empire.  Before her

Cindy was thought to be normal at birth, but over the first few weeks of her life certain problems began to arise.  The child's lips and fingernails had taken on a pale blue color and she was unable to breath at a relaxed rate.  Concerned for her child's well being , Maria went to La Mission, her village's church.  The priest directed her to see a doctor immediately in a nearby town, thirty-five miles away.  After a heart murmur was discovered, Cindy and her mother began an odyssey that eventually lead them to Birmingham and corrective surgery for the "hole" in Cindy's heart.

Dr. Edwin Aronne, a cardiologist from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, helped to arrange Cindy's operation and accompanied her and her mother to the United States to receive training in pediatric cardiology.  The Glen Iris Baptist Church of Birmingham provided housing for Cindy and her mother during their visit.  Dr. Michael McConnell acted as Cindy's pediatric cardiologist and Dr. Al Pacifico performed the surgery on January 21st.

Cindy returned with her mother in late February and has since done very well.  She continues to grow normally and has been free of illness.

MISSION

HOME