WATCH ABOVE: Sandrine Murengerantwali tells Richard Dagenais why she is so connected to the cause
MONTREAL — Rwandan native Sandrine Murengerantwali was given a second chance at life when, at the age of four, she had surgery to repair a hole in her heart.
Now, through her foundation Vivo Cuore, Murengerantwali wants to give back to others.
Murengerantwali was born with Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), a hole in the wall that separates the heart’s two lower chambers.
If it’s not fixed, the hole can cause high pressure in the heart or reduce oxygen to the body.
There are currently around 2,000 children in her native Rwanda on the waiting list for this life-changing surgery.
“I didn’t find out about this until I was 14 years old,” she told Global Morning News anchor Richard Dagenais.
“I wasn’t aware of what was happening in my country and the need for children to get that operation.”
She wants to raise money so that other children can have access to the procedure.
Murengerantwali is using her talents as a pianist to host a benefit concert at Pollack Concert Hall at McGill University.
“I thought if I can do something to help those children I have to,” she said.
Murengerantwali told Global News her family had to travel to Kenya for her to get the surgery because there were no specialists in Rwanda who could perform the procedure.
That’s since changed, but it’s still difficult for people to have access to the expensive surgery.
“I always ask myself, ‘why me?’ Honestly, ‘why me?’ because all the children who died would have had the same benefits as me,” she said.
“To share everything that I can share is a need.”
Aside from her benefit concert, the 17-year-old is organizing other activities such as dinners, marathons and other shows.
She’s hoping to raise $5,000 by the summer for at least two children to be able to have the surgery.
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