HeartGift is not only a non-profit organization, but is also a comprehensive treatment
process. From beginning to end, a competent staff provides full-time care to patients
and their guardian. This personal attention includes all medical appointments, an escort
from the airport, accommodation with a host family, emotional support, surgery, and
post-operative care.
HeartGift has served children from the Dominican Republic, Syria, Nicaragua, Nigeria,
Belize, Cameroon, Honduras, Palestine and Mexico. Our immediate goal is to increase the
areas of the world served. This can only be achieved by proper patient referrals and this
is exactly where we need your help.
Our organization wants to build a chain of volunteers to enable disadvantaged children
from developing countries to receive the medical attention they need. The referral is the
primary link in the chain. Without an appropriate doctor referral, there is no possible way
for these disadvantaged children to receive medical aid.
Patient Criteria
Due to HeartGift's mission to enable children to go back home and live uncompromised lives,
we have established a set of specific patient criteria:
1. Patient cannot be more than 14 years old
2. Patient must have no chromosomal abnormalities (e.g. Downs Syndrome, AIDS, etc.)
3. Patient must require a bi-ventricular (single stage) repair
4. Patient must live in a developing country with inadequate access to proper treatment
Guidelines for Patient Referral
If you believe you have a candidate that meets the previous criteria,
please send the following information as your referral:
MUST have-
1. Full legal name of the child
5. Current echocardiogram (sonogram of the heart taken within the past 3 months) on VHS or CD/DVD
STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to have-
1. Living situation/social history (e.g. do they live with both parents? do they have siblings? history of heart disease in the family?)
3. Oxygen saturation rates
4. Past procedure history (e.g. have they ever had an operation, for what? have they ever had a catherization or shunt?)
ADDITIONAL information exceptionally helpful to us-
1. Vaccination history of the child
After you have compiled this information, please mail it to:
The HeartGift Foundation
1010 West 40th Street
Austin, TX 78756 USA
To print this information as a patient referral brochure, click here.
