Hope Heart Foundation raises funds that are forwarded directly to Operation Braveheart, which delivers free, minimally-invasive heart procedures to Filipino children and adults born with congenital heart defects — so a diagnosis never becomes a family's financial ruin.
Operation Braveheart began in 2016 as a partnership between Rotary International and PagKalMa — Pagkalinga sa Kalusugan ng Mamamayan, the health-service arm of the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity. The goal was simple and urgent: Filipino children and adults born with congenital heart defects were dying or living limited lives not because their conditions were untreatable, but because open-heart surgery was financially out of reach for most families.
The program closes that gap with catheter-based procedures — threading a thin tube through a blood vessel to repair the heart from the inside, instead of opening the chest. For eligible patients, this means shorter recovery, lower risk, and a real shot at a normal childhood, entirely free of charge.
Every procedure is funded by private donors. There is no government subsidy standing behind this work — it runs on people who choose to give.
Hope Heart Foundation is one such donor effort. We're an independent, volunteer-run fundraiser — not part of Operation Braveheart, Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity, or Rotary International, and not an official channel of any of them. We raise funds on our own initiative and forward 100% of net proceeds to Operation Braveheart to support patient procedures directly.
Trained at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Del Rosario introduced minimally-invasive cardiac catheterization to the Philippines, sharply reducing the need for open-heart surgery in eligible patients. The idea for Operation Braveheart took shape through his conversations with fellow physician Dr. Jesus "Jess" Urbi Socrates — both determined to make life-saving heart repair reachable for indigent patients, not just those who could afford it.
Each condition is a structural issue with how the heart formed before birth. All are addressed through catheterization — a thin tube guided through a blood vessel — rather than traditional surgery, whenever a patient qualifies.
Patent Ductus Arteriosus — a vessel that should seal shortly after birth stays open instead. A small catheter-delivered device closes it permanently.
Ventricular Septal Defect — a hole between the heart's lower chambers. In eligible cases, a catheter-placed occluder seals it from within.
Atrial Septal Defect — a hole between the heart's upper chambers, similarly repaired through a catheter rather than open surgery.
For the smallest patients — preterm infants just over a kilogram — an ultra-small occluder closes PDA in hearts too tiny for standard devices.
One of the program's earliest patients was born with PDA. A single catheter procedure closed the vessel — and he grew into an active, healthy kid, living the ordinary childhood his family once feared he'd never have.
Behind every statistic is a family that was told their child's heart wasn't built right — and Operation Braveheart's team found a way to fix it without the six-figure surgical bill that would have put it out of reach.
Since 2016, the program has extended care to some of its smallest, most fragile patients — including preterm infants weighing barely over a kilogram — using devices engineered for hearts that small.
Operation Braveheart's work runs on donors, volunteers, and word of mouth — Hope Heart Foundation exists to help fuel it. There's a role here whether you have five minutes or a Saturday.
Every donation funds catheters, closure devices, and diagnostic screening for a patient who couldn't otherwise afford it.
Donate now →Operation Braveheart welcomes medical students and fraternity members to assist with intake, patient history, and physical exams under physician supervision. Reach out and we'll help point you in the right direction.
Ask how to connect →Share a patient story, follow our updates, or introduce us to a company or civic group looking for a cause to support.
Get in touch →100% of net proceeds from this page are forwarded directly to Operation Braveheart to fund patient screenings and procedures.
Funds an initial diagnostic screening and cardiac consultation for one patient.
Contributes toward catheter supplies and lab time for one closure procedure.
Helps cover a full PDA, VSD, or ASD closure procedure for a patient in need.
Donations are processed securely via Donorbox and forwarded to Operation Braveheart. Hope Heart Foundation is an independent fundraiser and is not an official representative of Operation Braveheart, Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity, or Rotary International.