On 7 July, 50 VINCI Energies Coureurs du Coeur took part in L’Étape du Tour cyclosportive and made it possible for five children with heart abnormalities to receive surgery with Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. 

One of them, Gnoumaba, is the fourth child to have her life transformed thanks to this operation.

Aged just 18 months, Gnoumaba comes from Guinea. She had been diagnosed with intraventricular communication (IVC), which is an abnormal hole or opening between the left and right ventricles of the heart, leading to fatigue and shortness of breath.

You can learn more about her condition in this video (in French) explanation by Professor Francine Leca: https://youtu.be/ppyBHP2bnn4. 

Due to a lack of technical capacity locally, the treatment Gnoumaba needed was not available. Her doctor and parents therefore decided to submit her case file to Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. 

In September, Gnoumaba underwent successful surgery at Toulouse Children’s Hospital and later returned to her parents in the best of health.