| In Memoriam -- Iriana Garcia Fernandez |
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September 13, 2004 8:19 AM -- I regret to inform you that 2-year old Iriana Garcia Fernandez lost her struggle for life after many complications from open-heart surgery. She passed away Saturday about 3PM at Plaza la Salud. Iriana was born with Tetrology of Fallot. Iriana was operated on 25 August at Corazones Unidos by a medical team from the United States. The day prior to their planned departure back to the U.S. Iriana was transferred to the intensive care unit at Plaza la Salud where she struggled with pneumonia, thrombosis and then contracted an aggressive bacterial organism. The infectious disease experts in the U.S. indicated this was an organism that is very difficult to eradicate and has a poor prognosis. They recommended antibiotic treatment that is not available in the DR and the attending U.S. surgeon purchased the treatment for same day shipment to the DR. Unfortunately it was too late. Iriana's parents are Ana Iris Garcia Fernandez and Patenio Garcia Capellan of Cangrejo, near Puerto Plata. September 12, 2004 10:31 AM -- She passed away yesterday (Saturday) about 3PM at Plaza La Salud in Santo Domingo. While her surgery was free, the extended hospital stay was not after she was transferred from Corazones Unidos to Plaza La Salud. The family was frantically searching for 105,500 pesos to get her body from the hospital and bring her home for burial, half the cost of the hospital stay plus 19,000 pesos for ambulance transport. They do not have embalming here, so the "fermon" (fermentation) process only lasts 24 hours and then the body starts to decompose. Therefore, time is of the essence for the appropriate funeral service. September 08, 2004 8:01 AM -- Iriana came out of the coma and is doing a little better but it is still touch and go. September 4, 2004 8:02 AM -- Iriana fell into a coma yesterday and the doctor said just wait for time. Her open-heart surgery was 11 or 12 days ago Wednesday at Corazones Unidos in Santo Domingo. She developed problems immediately. First she had arrhythmia and the doctors gave her medicine to slow the heart rate. Then as a result of the medicine her blood pressure was very low and they had to induce other medicine to bring her blood pressure up. Now she has pneumonia. She has been in intensive care the entire time. The medical team from Miami had to leave last Saturday so she was transferred to Plaza La Salud, known to be the best private hospital in the DR. While the surgery at Corazones Unidos was free from Heart Care Menders in the U.S., the expenses at Plaza La Salud are not and are increasing daily. Now the thought the family has to look for money for a possible funeral is too much to handle. Iriana's mother has slept in a chair at the hospital the entire time since Iriana is in intensive care and there are no facilities for the mother to sleep. Iriana is the daughter of Jacob's first cousin. He asked me to help them because I have a contact at Corazones Unidos as a result of Antonia's surgery. Iriana was born with Tetrology de Fallot, also known as blue baby, but the pediatric cardiologist in Santiago has done nothing to help the past two years of her life. She has had an oxygen tank when she turns blue. |