Noelanie is a playful preschooler from Haiti who loves music and dancing. She lives with her parents and two older siblings in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince; Noelanie has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two major blood vessels near her heart; blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. The care Noelanie needs is not available within Haiti so she will travel to the United States to receive treatment. On February 9th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use a device attached to the end of a catheter to fill the hole. Another organization, Gift of Life New York, is contributing $4000 towards her surgery. Noelanie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep, travel, and follow up medical care. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and follow-up appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Noelanie's family overseas. Noelanie's mother says, "Our family has been praying for years that Noelanie's heart would be fixed one day, and we are so happy to know it is happening."

Sok is an 80 year-old retired rice farmer from Kompong Thom province. Since her husband died five years ago, she has been living alone. Her six children and twelve grandchildren live in neighboring villages. The family checks in on her often, but it has become increasingly difficult for Sok to go out on her own due to deteriorating vision. She misses going to the pagoda to pray and taking walks. Her favorite things are her grandchildren and listening to Buddhist radio. About one year ago, Sok developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, so it is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Sok learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On March 7th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Sok shared, "I hope after surgery I can see better, easily go out on my own, and recognize my family."

Purity is is a young lady aged 18 years who resides in in Kiambu County. She is the last born in a family of four children. Purity completed secondary school in 2022 and scored well enough to join the university. Unfortunately, she has not yet joined due to a lack of school fees. Her parents, who are farmers, are not able to raise the fee required to attend the university. This makes Purity very sad because she focused all her effort into studying, though she understands her parents’ situation and hopes she can get help soon to pursue her education. In December 2023, Purity began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling. It was Purity’s elder sister who noted her neck was swollen. She was taken to the hospital, and a scan showed a multinodular goiter. She was referred to our medical partner's care center, Nazareth Hospital, for further tests and treatment. She was diagnosed with multinodular goiter. Her surgeon advised them to have a thyroidectomy to heal her condition, but due to their low income, her parents are not in a position to pay for this treatment. If not treated, the goiter may become very big, compressing the trachea and esophagus, leading to breathing and feeding difficulties. She may also have hyperthyroidism leading to palpitations, sweating and weight loss. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Purity receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 5th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $625, and she and her family need help raising money. “I am very much worried about this condition. I pray that someone will come to my aid so that I can be treated and be ready to go to university by the time my parents will manage to pay,” said Purity.