Girl with heart defect receives loving care

HEARTFELT—Jamie Bachelis of Agoura Hills comforts 2-year-old Abi from Ecuador after the child underwent two surgeries at UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital to correct a congenital heart defect. The Bachelises have been Abi’s foster family during the child’s stay in the United States. After a seven-month stay in the United States and two surgeries at UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital, a lovable two-year-old girl named Abi, who was born with a life-threatening congenital heart defect, will return to her family in Ecuador in time for Christmas.

“When we first got Abi, we were told we would ‘fix a heart and break our own,’” said Jamie Bachelis, Abi’s volunteer foster mother in Agoura Hills. “We just pray that we will be able to keep in touch and, even if from a distance, we hope Abi’s family will help us to continue to stay in her life.”

Abi Vega Cruz arrived from Quito, Ecuador on May 5 thanks to the Two Marias International Children’s Fund at UCLA, established in Oct. 2004. Actor/director Mel Gibson donated $5 million to the hospital to assist foreign children who are unable to receive medical care in their own countries, either because the medical care is unavailable there or because they lack the financial resources to pay for the treatment.

The fund was named after the formerly conjoined Guatemalan twins, Maria de Jesus and Maria Teresa Quiej, who were surgically separated at UCLA in 2002.

To date, 27 children have come to UCLA through the Two Marias fund. Children have traveled from China, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Romania and the Philippines.

UCLA specialists from cardiology, neurology, optometry and cancer have treated children ranging in age from one to 18.The children stay for an average of six weeks to one year, sometimes longer.

The young patients are referred through the nonprofit organization Healing the Children, the group that brought the two Marias to UCLA. Children stay with Healing the Children foster families while in Los Angeles.

Abi has been living with the Bachelis family in Agoura Hills and has quickly become a beloved member of the family of four. The Bachelises have stayed in touch with Abi’s family in Ecuador every day via e-mail.

Abi was born with a congenital heart defect called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Her heart muscle was so large and thick that it could not pump efficiently. Since doctors in her home country weren’t able to treat her condition, she was referred to the fund’s program.

On May 13, Abi underwent surgery at UCLA to section out some of her heart and correct a ventricle septal defect (hole in the heart). She also had a pacemaker implanted the following month.

Abi also suffers from hip dysplasia and has been wearing a hip brace for five months to help improve her condition.

Before her heart surgeries, Bachelis said Abi had less energy, didn’t smile much and was cranky. She also slept during the day because she couldn’t sleep well at night.

But as Abi prepares for her return home on Dec. 14, she’s become an active two-yearold. She loves music and will start dancing whenever she hears any kind of music. Abi also enjoys dressing up, wearing her UCLA cheerleading uniform and watching sports —including her foster brother’s basketball games.

“Abi is truly remarkable, said Dr. Juan Alejos, associate professor of pediatric cardiology at Mattel Children’s Hospital. The Bachelis’ have done an extraordinary job getting her through very difficult surgeries.”

The Bachelis family had a special interest in getting involved with Healing the Children and the Two Marias fund. Their daughter, Sarah, now age 13, was born with five heart defects and has undergone four successful surgeries at UCLA. The family said it will be hard to see Abi leave, but plans to welcome her back for any future return trips to Los Angeles. They also plan to host more patients.

“This incredible journey that we have taken will live on in our hearts forever,” Bachelis said.

The Two Marias International Children’s fund pays for patients’ medical expenses, but Healing the Children and the foster families provide other costs, such as travel and day-to-day expenses which average about $2,500 per child.

To qualify for treatment paid for by this fund, children must have serious, yet correctable medical conditions for which they cannot be treated in their own countries. The children are located and recommended by Healing the Children under the direction of founder Cris Embleton. Healing the Children serves youths without regard to race, religion, creed or national origin.

For more information on contributing to the fund or becoming a foster family, call Healing the Children at (661) 288-1957.

— Acorn staff report