A Long-Awaited Miracle: Heart Surgery in South Korea
Receiving life-saving heart surgery in South Korea has finally given 14-year-old Vincent Valente a second chance at a normal, active childhood. Diagnosed with congenital heart defects as an infant, Vincent recently traveled over 3,000 kilometers from the Philippines to Bundang Seoul National University Hospital to undergo a successful procedure.
Overcoming Severe Congenital Heart Defects
Vincent, a student at the ‘Maria’s House of Boys’ residential school for low-income youths in Cebu, had long suffered from an atrial septal defect (ASD) and partial anomalous pulmonary venous return. Due to limited local medical resources and financial hardships, his condition went untreated for over a decade, leaving him constantly exhausted and unable to play with his peers like other children.
A Successful Recovery and a Bright Future
Thanks to a health and nutrition support program by the Seoul National University College of Medicine’s Lee Jong-wook Global Medicine Center, Vincent was identified and brought to South Korea. Following a successful joint operation by the cardiovascular thoracic surgery and pediatrics departments, he recovered rapidly, breathing on his own just a day after the procedure. Now discharged, Vincent looks forward to running and playing freely for the first time in his life.
