A flight of hope

With just five months old, Carla Lorena was transported by ambulance from La Paz, Bolivia, to Buenos Aires, where she continued her medical care at the Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital. The air ambulance operation was made possible thanks to the coordination between authorities and agencies from both countries, in a race against time to give her a new opportunity.

Carla Lorena's story is one of struggle, love, and hope. Since her birth five months ago, the little girl has remained under constant medical care due to a complex congenital malformation that required prolonged hospitalizations and multiple surgical procedures.

Carla was born with giant hydrocele, a congenital defect of the abdominal wall that causes some organs, such as the intestines or the liver, to develop outside the abdomen, covered by a membrane. Her condition required constant care and a highly complex medical approach from her earliest days of life.

Carla Lorena had already undergone ten surgical interventions in Bolivia, where she was treated by highly qualified professionals who did everything possible to improve her condition and provide her with greater opportunities for life. However, faced with the complexity of her clinical condition and after exhausting the available therapeutic options, the doctors considered that they no longer had any new options to offer her. Faced with this situation, her family decided not to give up and began a desperate search for new treatment possibilities outside the country.

A family that never stopped looking for alternatives

Her parents, Sonia Muñoz and Carlos Condori, embarked on a long journey in search of an opportunity for their daughter. With the support of family members, friends, and supportive individuals, they launched campaigns to raise the necessary resources and assistance to access specialized treatment.

During her pregnancy, Sonia had received the diagnosis of the malformation and knew the risks her daughter would face. Nevertheless, she decided to continue with the pregnancy. Since then, each stage has been marked by uncertainty, medical interventions, and the determination to support Carla in her struggle to live.

In the midst of this difficult situation, the family contacted the Bolivian consul general in Argentina, Santos Tito, and began to negotiate the possibility of transferring the little girl to the Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital in the City of Buenos Aires so that she could be evaluated and continue her treatment.

An air medical operation to bring her closer to a new opportunity

Carla's delicate health condition made specialized medical transport indispensable. Her clinical condition required medical assistance and monitoring throughout the entire journey, so an air medical operation was organized on an ambulance plane to transport her from La Paz to Buenos Aires.

The operation was made possible thanks to coordinated efforts between the Consulate General of Bolivia in Argentina, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and other agencies that collaborated to carry out the transfer and facilitate the care of the child in the country.

Furthermore, efforts were made to facilitate the parents' stay in Argentina during the treatment and to enable them to accompany her during this delicate stage.

Finally, Carla Lorena arrived in Buenos Aires, where she continued her medical care at the Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital. The transfer represented a fundamental step towards introducing her to new therapeutic options and giving her family new hope.

When flying means much more than reaching the destination

Behind every air ambulance transfer is a story worth telling. In Carla Lorena's case, each stage of the operation had a clear purpose: making it possible for a critically ill baby to access specialized care that was no longer available in her home country.

His journey from Bolivia to Argentina was much more than just a trip between two cities. It was the result of the coordination, commitment, and effort of those who worked to ensure that he could reach his destination with the assistance he needed.

For Sonia and Carlos, it meant the possibility of continuing to fight for their daughter, after months of uncertainty and having received devastating news. For Carla, it represented the beginning of a new stage in her medical journey.

Although the prognosis remained complex and the treatment presented new challenges, the arrival in Buenos Aires opened a door that his family had refused to let go of.

Because behind every medical flight there is a life, a family and a hope. And, sometimes, reaching the destination means much more than completing a journey: it means bringing a new opportunity to live closer to us.