Kyleigh Kista, a 3 year old from Benonin South Africa needs heart surgery within the next 3 months to save her life.
Kyleigh was diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, VSD, Mapcas, a complex congenital heart defect at birth. In simple terms, this condition means that she wasn’t born with the valve connecting the heart to the lungs. All of the vital arteries which are supposed to be attached to this valve are instead free-floating. She also has a hole in her heart. Her two collateral arteries keep her alive but one of these has also started to severely narrow.
She has already had 3 open heart surgeries in her mere 3 years of life.
In November of 2021, doctors in South Africa said she didn’t have any other options left. They recommended waiting until her organs began failing. At that point a lung transplant and a heart transplant could be considered.
Serina Kista, Kyleigh’s mom, was frightened by this news. They didn’t want their daughter to suffer as her organs failed and play a waiting game until she was in critical condition. At such point, there wouldn’t be any guarantee that they could find a donor, not to mention the high risk of a transplant in someone so young.
Serina decided to look for a second opinion. She contacted Boston Children’s Hospital and asked for recommendations. Doctors there provided hope not only for a novel treatment, but an improved quality of life for Kyleigh.
Life-Saving Surgery
The doctors at Boston Children’s proposed a novel technique to repair Kyleigh’s heart. This technique is something they have performed with very high success rates at their hospital. The technique will allow Kyleigh’s blood vessels to be reconstructed so that they flow through her lungs as they should. Additionally, the blood vessels will be connected to the collateral arteries as they should be.
It is urgent that Kyleigh receive this surgery soon.
Unfortunately though, cost is a barrier. Despite the fact that the hospital has offered to complete the surgery for a reduced rate, the cost is still too high (295,761 dollars) for them to pay.
To help raise money for the life-saving therapy, Kyleigh’s family has creating a crowdfunding campaign using BackaBuddy. The funds raised will be transferred directly to Boston Children’s for the surgery.
Kyleigh’s family expresses their utmost gratitude for everyone who has already provided a donation. For those unable to donate but who have sent warm thoughts and prayers, the family is just as thankful. They now have hope for their daughter’s future, something that had been lost just a few months ago.
To donate to Kyleigh’s surgery, click here.
You can also use Snapscan to donate if you prefer: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/HopeforKyleigh
To follow the families journey, check out their Facebook and Instagram.
