Keina is an adorable preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her mother and grandparents in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. She's just started preschool and loves animals and the color pink. Keina has a life-threatening cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two blood vessels near her heart. Blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. Keina will fly to United States to receive treatment because the care she needs is not available anywhere in Haiti. On February 8th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will plug the hole with a device attached to the end of a catheter. Another organization, Gift of Life New York, is contributing $4000 to support surgery costs. Keina's family needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep, travel, and post-operative care. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and follow-up appointments. It also supports the cost of passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Keina's family overseas. Keina's mother states, "Our family would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping to heal Keina's heart."

Su is a 12-year-old boy from Burma who lives in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp with his family. Su had to discontinue his studies while in fourth-grade, and his family was forced to leave their home because of the conflict in Burma. Su’s grandparents are his primary caregivers as his parents divorced, got remarried and moved away. His half-brother, uncle, aunt, and infant cousin also live with the family. Su’s grandmother and aunt take care of their home, while his grandfather, uncle and half-brother work as day laborers. Su initially noticed signs of his condition in January, when he felt pain on the left side of his mouth, and had a slight swelling on the left side of his face. One month later, he was taken to the clinic by his aunt, where it was discovered that he had three cavities on the left side of his mouth. The doctors removed the decayed tooth on the top jaw but left the lower two as the swelling was significant. Su stayed in hospital for one week to recover, while receiving antibiotics. He was released from the clinic once the pain and swelling had decreased, but shortly after, the symptoms resurfaced, more intense than before. Presently, the left side of Su’s face is significantly swollen, and he feels acute pain. He has difficulty eating and can only chew from the right side of his mouth. He cannot lay down on the left side due to the swelling and pain, which gets worse at night. Su also feels pain in his neck when he drinks or swallows food. Su needs to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which X-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This will help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Su's family is however unable to raise the required funds needed for the imaging procedure. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Su's CT scan and care, scheduled for March 25th. Su is keen to return to school when his condition is treated. He loves to paint and draw in his free time and would like to be an artist someday. Su's grandfather is worried about his condition, but hopeful about his future. He says, “Whatever he wants to do in his future, I will support him fully, as his parents are gone.”

Mutura is an 11-year-old, 5th grade student from Kenya. She is one of six children and has three brothers and two sisters. Her mother does lots of different kinds of daily work, but mostly washes clothes in their neighborhood. Matura's oldest sister does some daily work and helps her mother buy food for their family. One day, when Mutura was standing alongside the road with one of her siblings and a neighbor, she was hit by a moving motorcycle that had lost control. She was brought to Maua Hospital. She had some bruises and an open tibia fracture that was severely bleeding. Because of her injuries she is in chronic pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 23rd, Mutura will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. a procedure which helps fix severely broken bones. With treatment, the fracture will heal. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,079 to fund this procedure. Matura's Mother says, "Please help my daughter to undergo the surgery."