We saw Preston in consultation during a mission to Kinshasa in 2015, when he was just a little 2 year old, snuggled in his mom's arms. Suffering from a Tetralogy of Fallot, we took care of his first operation a few months later, at the Jacques Cartier Hospital in Massy.
This first surgery improved his health but we knew that a second surgery would be necessary to repair his heart. Until that day, Preston returned home to the Democratic Republic of Congo where he was closely monitored by our referring doctor. On January 26th, at the age of 8 and a half, Preston came back to Paris to be operated on, very tired but still with the same communicative smile.
This second surgery was essential because his heart disease was making him very short of breath and he came back more than in time. It was impossible for him to run, climb stairs or play soccer, his great passion! Indeed, in a letter to his foster family, Preston's mother said that her son was an unconditional fan of football and more particularly of Kylian Mbappé, whom he dreamed of meeting one day.
This information caught the attention of his host family who offered him a stuffed toy of his favorite player on his arrival. "With this plush, Kylian will accompany you everywhere and give you a lot of courage!" From that moment on, it never left him, whether in the hospital, to sleep, at the recovery center, at the table... Like a guardian angel, his idol watched over him throughout his health journey.
Following his surgery, Preston returned to his foster family transformed! Once the fatigue and shortness of breath disappeared, he was finally able to run around in the garden and play soccer, without suspecting that Aurélie and Cyril, his parents at heart, had been secretly planning a big surprise for several weeks: to allow Preston to become an "Escort kid".
It was just before the D-day and after having obtained the green light from the cardiopediatrician that they announced him the good news. Preston didn't believe it at first, he was "scared" but he finally seized the huge opportunity to go on the field, hand in hand with Kylian Mbappé during a PSG match.
This moment of indescribable joy will remain forever engraved in his memories and those of his host family, so happy to have filled his eyes with stars!
