Welcome Gissell Castillo
The Rotary Club of Fair Lawn is pleased to welcome Gissell Julimar Nunez Castillo to New Jersey. Gissell, a six year old girl from Honduras, will be receiving life saving heart surgery at Montefiore Hospital through Rotary District 7490's Gift of Life Program.
Gissell and her mother arrived from Honduras early November; the Rotary Club of Fair Lawn sponsored her and is working with a family in Ridgewood whom will be hosting Gissell and her mother as they stay in New Jersey for the next several weeks. The Fair Lawn High School Interact Club will also be working with the Rotary Club of Fair Lawn and the host family to make Gissell and her mother's stay here as comforting as possible.
Gissell has a Ventricular Septal Defect; this congenital condition is a hole in the wall between the right and left ventricles of the heart. This abnormality usually develops before birth and is found in infants. Normally, unoxygenated blood from the body returns to the right half of the heart, that is the right atrium, then the right ventricle, which pumps the blood to the lungs to absorb oxygen. After leaving the lungs, the oxygenated blood returns to the left half of the heart, that is the left atrium, then the left ventricle, where it is pumped out to provide oxygen to all the tissues of the body. With this condition, Gissell's heart is working harder and is not properly oxygenating her body. This extra work done by her heart will eventually lead to heart failure unless corrected.
We will have regular updates on Gissell's progress as she continues through pre-operative testing, the actual operation and her recovery. Her host family, as well as members of the Rotary Club of Fair Lawn and Fair Lawn High School Interact Club, are looking forward to spending time with Gissell and her mother as they go through this procedure.