Brianna was born with a heart defect, meaning that her large blood vessels – pulmonary artery and aorta – have swapped places.
In order to save her, the life-saving surgery must be done within the first two weeks after birth. However, this surgery is not currently performed in Estonia, but without the surgery 90% of the babies die within the first year.
During the arterial switch operation pulmonary artery and aorta are switched back to their designated places and in 95% of the cases the surgery proves successful and children can have a normal quality of life.
The cost of the surgery and Brianna’s transport to Helsinki is covered by the Estonian Health Services, but all additional expenses, e.g. the transportation and accommodation cost of her parents, are not.
In addition, it is not yet known for how long Brianna must stay in Helsinki post-surgery, or how exactly will her return to home be organised.
