10/20/2026
“Because she is improving, we get to hold her. She has many tubes, and she’s getting tubes taken out every day.” – a father watching his daughter recover from heart surgery.
At just 5 months old, Naina had heart surgery for her complex congenital heart conditions. She was born with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) and diagnosed with VSD, ASD and an issue with her left mitral valve. In Brazil, around 50% of babies born with Down syndrome have congenital heart disease.
When we met Naina, and her dad, Joarlan, she had been in the hospital for 40 days. He hoped she would be on the road to recovery and able to go home within the next month.
In Brazil, nearly 80% of children born with a congenital heart disease will need surgery in their lifetime.
Hospital Português —a Children’s HeartLink partner—is one of only two hospitals in the state of Pernambuco equipped to care for children with complex heart conditions. As a leader in the region, the hospital is committed to expanding its program, improving education around congenital heart defects and increasing access to pediatric heart care across Brazil’s Northeast Region.
