MIAMI -- A toddler born with his heart on the outside of his chest has come to South Florida for life-saving surgery.

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Adrian Reheal is a 20-month-old Trinidadian boy who was born with a rare congenital birth defect known as ectopia cordis. Doctors said the condition affects eight in 1 million births but usually results in stillbirth or death shortly after birth.

"The breast bone -- the central portion of our chest -- didn't form properly," said Dr. Eliot Rosenkranz, a surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital. "Only the top inch or so … formed. All the rest is missing, so he has a thin cover of skin which covers his heart."

Doctors also want to repair a hole in Adrian's heart and a defect in the center of his diaphragm.

"One of the things that we're planning to do for Adrian is to combine the sternal repair with the repair of his heart, although we would like to repair his heart with a fairly new method -- a method where we can put a patch inside his heart," said Rosenkranz.

Because Adrian's family can’t afford to pay for the surgery, which costs about $85,000, the International Kids Fund is trying to raise enough money to pay for the operation.

To make a donation that would help Adrian be able to have the surgery, contact the IKF at 1-877-IKF-KIDS or send a check or money order to:

International Kids Fund
Re: Adrian Reheal
P.O. Box 2020
Miami, FL 33101