By JADE MINGUS / KVUE News ~ A nine-month-old baby has a new lease on life, thanks to the generous work of an Austin non-profit group. The baby, named Fortune, and his mother, Sylvia Nalwejje, traveled 10,000 miles from Uganda for a life-saving heart surgery. The HeartGift Foundation arranged for Fortune to travel to Texas and receive the surgery free of cost at Dell Children’s Medical Center.

“We are very, very grateful and very happy for them sponsoring our child because we couldn’t afford that medical bill,” said Nalwejje.

Dr. Kenneth Fox said Fortune had holes in his heart and an artery giving him too much circulation. Without the operation, he would not be able to survive.

“Kids recover very quickly,” said Dr. Fox. “He’s doing very well.”

Fortune is one of more than 130 children around the world who will live a full life thanks to HeartGift. The nonprofit provides life-saving heart surgeries to disadvantaged children from developing countries.

“We learn a little bit from each patient that comes here, and I think we feel pretty good doing it,” said Dr. Fox.

Thanks to the organization’s generosity, a mother’s dream for her son’s future could come true.

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