Eduardo Needs a Heart to Save His Life! from Jason Bosch on Vimeo.

Here's some raw footage I took from the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign Meeting in New Orleans on January 16, 2010 talking about Eduardo.

Eduardo, A 14 year old boy named Eduardo Loredo was hospitalized at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO, on July 2009. It was discovered that his heart was enlarging, making the pumping of the blood difficult. Eduardo has been at Children's for 3 months since July. Eduardo was given medication to improve his heart condition, but the medication did not have an effect on his heart. Doctors eventually told the family that Eduardo would need a heart transplant. Karina, Eduardo's mom, was then contacted by Kathleen Hurley, RN, CPNP, Transplant Coordinatorfrom the Children's Hospital in St. Louis to let her know that they would do the heart transplant and would pay for all the expenses as well. Meanwhile doctors had Eduardo go through risky procedures to examine his heart. A few days later Karina received a phone call from the Children's Hospital in St. Louis letting her know that they had made a mistake and Eduardo would not be receiving the heart transplant. When Karina called back Dr. Kathleen Hurley, she was told that there was no record of any procedures for Eduardo and that they had never promised to do the operation. Children's Mercy hospital (KCMO) then told Karina that in order to put her son on the waiting list for a heart, the family would need $100,000 as a down payment. Eduardo and his family don't have health insurance. On Wed. Oct. 14th, after being at Children's Mercy in KC, MO for 3 months, Eduardo was sent home by the hospital. Children's Mercy is currently providing Eduardo with IV and oral medication to stabilize his heart. He was denied being place on the waiting list and denied the heart transplant. We have to let our communities and the nation know that EDUARDO needs a HEART transplant and that this inhumanity against Eduardo and his family will not be tolerated. Please, help us spread the word and let us know if you know of anyone who could possibly help Eduardo.

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Labels: Eduardo Loredo, Health Care, Heart Transplant

Art Auction Held For Teen Needing Heart Transplant
KMBC's Jim Flink reports on Eduardo Loredo.
http://www.kmbc.com/video/22027836/

Metro Teen Waits for New Heart
A metro teen is hoping for a life-saving heart transplant this Christmas.
http://www.kctv5.com/video/22030076/index.html

Labels: Eduardo Loredo, Kansas City, PPEHRC

While heath care reform dominates the national debate, there is a 14 year-old boy in Kansas City, Kansas named Eduardo Loredo who could die any day.

Eduardo is being denied a heart transplant because he does not have health insurance (or enough money) to pay for a heart transplant and follow up care. Eduardo was diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy, a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and eventually stops working altogether, and was hospitalized at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO beginning in July 2009. Eduardo was sent home from Children’s Mercy Hospital on October 14, 2009 and told that he had the potential to live another two or three years, but that he could also die any day. Missouri’s Medicaid program is generally available only to citizens and certain legal immigrants who meet a five year waiting period. These restrictive rules prevent Eduardo from qualifying for health insurance that would cover both the transplant procedure and the long-term follow up care required to ensure a successful transplant. Without this coverage, the total cost of the transplant would cost his family $500,000. Children’s Mercy Hospital told Eduardo that without an up-front payment of $100,000, he would not even be able to get on the waiting list for a heart transplant. While Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO originally offered to perform the transplant surgery for no cost, this offer was later retracted. His family is simply being told that his life is not a priority.

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These human rights include necessities such as housing, education, food, and health care. Although the United States signed this declaration, we are still waiting for our government to guarantee these rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr declared: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

Whoever we are—whatever the color of our skin or how much money we have in the bank account or where we come from—we all deserve the chance to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. And so does Eduardo.

The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) calls on hospitals, doctors, health clinics, politicians, religious people, and all people of conscience to take responsibility for Eduardo’s life, and help him to live. Please contact Cheri Honkala, national Organizer of PPEHRC, at 267-439-8419 or cherippehrc@hotmail.comto help us save Eduardo.


As our government continues the battle to reform our health care system, may they look at Eduardo and declare: ENOUGH.


Enough people have died as a result of being barred from medical care that could have saved their lives.


Not one more Death. Health Care is a Human Right!

Labels: Cheri Honkala, Eduardo Loredo, Health Care, Kansas, Kansas City

A 14 year old boy named Eduardo Loredo was hospitalized at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO, on July 2009. It was discovered that his heart was enlarging, making the pumping of the blood difficult. Eduardo has been at Children's for 3 months since July. Eduardo was given medication to improve his heart condition, but the medication did not have an effect on his heart. Doctors eventually told the family that Eduardo would need a heart transplant. Children's Mercy worked with St. Luke's Hospital to ensure that Eduardo would receive the transplant and Karina, Eduardo's mom, was told by St. Luke hospital that St. Luke hospital would pay for all the operation expenses. A few days Karina received a phone call from St. Luke's Hospital letting her know that they had made a mistake and Eduardo would not be receiving the heart transplant. Moreover, Children's Mercy hospital told Karina that in order to put her son on the waiting list for a heart, the family would need $100,000 as a down payment. Eduardo and his family don't have health insurance. On Wed. Oct. 14th, after being at Children's Mercy for 3 months, Eduardo was sent home by the hospital. He was denied being place on the waiting list and denied the heart transplant. The JCCC Latinos United Now and Always Club and the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign have made their priority letting everyone know in our community and the nation that EDUARDO needs a HEART transplant and that this inhumanity and injustice against Eduardo and his family will not be tolerated.


Please, help us spread the word and let us know if you know of anyone who could possibly help Eduardo.


Please contact:
The JCCC Latinos United Now and Always Club at: lunajccc@gmail.com


Nicole Vengrove from the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign at nicvengrove@gmail.com.

Labels: Eduardo Loredo, Health Care