The children, who suffer from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, are scheduled to undergo the operation at the Sick Kids Center in Toronto, Canada, on March 14 and 15 with the help of the Herbie Fund Foundation.

Leo Tito L. Ausan Jr., the officer in charge of the consulate, said that a request for help from the father, Jonathan Dimaano, an electrical engineer, will also be forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila for referral to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

“We are requesting a little donation, which would contribute a lot to the operation of my twin daughters, because our finances will not be enough,” Jonathan D. Dimaano, father of the twins and former president of the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers in Jeddah, said in an e-mail to Ausan.

The operation will be held at the hospital in Toronto because the catheter needed for the operation is only available there.

Mary Joanne suffered her fourth heart attack on July 14, 2010, while Mary Janice suffered her first in February 2004. “The Herbie Fund Foundation will bear the cost of the procedure,” Dimaano said.

He added that he has also approached friends and members of the Filipino community but could not raise enough funds.

Explaining the procedure, he said that a hole would be made on the girls’ limbs. A catheter would be inserted in the hole toward the heart to make it beat regularly.

“As of now, their hearts beat twice as normal. This could lead to a sudden cardiac arrest prior to heart failure or a heart attack,” Dimaano said, quoting Dr. Abla Abbas Zein Khalil, the cardiologist at the Al-Abeer Medical Center in Jeddah whom the family had consulted regarding the girls' condition.

He added that when Mary Joanne suffered her fourth attack, she could not breathe and was rushed to King Faisal Hospital.

“We were advised that she should immediately undergo an ablation procedure because of the series of attacks that she had suffered,” he said.

“We were advised to seek treatment abroad. In the Philippines, my wife and I consulted a doctor at the Philippine Heart Center of Asia, but the catheter available was only for seven-year-old children. Our twins are six years old. After that, we surfed the Internet to find out if any foundation or philanthropic society could help us. That was when we learned about the foundation in Toronto. Those who want to help can call me on my mobile (0561525713).”

Any donations can also be deposited in his wife Rowena's dollar account (No. 1920057119) at the Banco de Oro (BDO).