“Thu Thu is a very smart girl,” says her father. “She puts efforts into studies but her current health condition prevents her from going to school.” At two years old, doctors discovered that Thu Thu had a hole in her heart, a condition called patent ductus arteriosus. They expected that it would heal itself, however, now at 16 years old, Thu Thu requires surgery to close the hole. “Thu Thu lives in Burma with her parents and two older sisters,” explains our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “Her father works as a tailor while her mother takes care of the house and children. Thu Thu’s father’s income is just barely enough to cover daily expenses so they do not have money saved to pay for healthcare.” While untreated, Thu Thu suffers with the symptoms of her condition. “Thu Thu has severe fatigue and gets sick with colds frequently,” continues BBP. “Her breathing and pulse are irregular. Her condition has forced her to drop out of school even though she has excelled in her classes until now.” For $1,500, Thu Thu will receive cardiac surgery to help her regain energy and attend school again. Once she recovers, she plans to go back to class, pass her exam, and move on to a university. “I really want to pass my matriculation exam,” shares Thu Thu. “I cannot wait to be as healthy as other people.”

Meet two-month-old Sebastian, a cheerful baby boy from Haiti. “Sebastien lives with his mother and father; he is their first child, and also the first grandchild in both families, so he gets a lot of attention from his family,” reports our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). “He is usually a happy baby and rarely fusses. His father works in the construction trades, and his mother worked as a market vendor until Sebastien was born.” Sebastien has severe pulmonary stenosis, a congenital defect that results from abnormal development of the fetal heart during the first eight weeks of pregnancy. “His pulmonary valve is too narrow to allow blood to pass freely through it,” explains HCA. “As a result, blood blacks up into his heart, causing heart failure and putting him at risk of sudden cardiac arrest.” For $1500, Sebastien can travel overseas to receive surgery that will correct the width of his pulmonary valve. University Hospital of Martinique is contributing an additional $7,500 toward his surgery. “A balloon will be inserted into the valve to stretch it open to a near-normal size,” reports HCA. “Following surgery, Sebastien’s pulmonary valve should function normally, and he should not need further intervention.” This cost includes passports, visas, pre-departure diagnostic procedures, airline tickets, food support, calling cards to Haiti, a host family stipend, local expenses, and temporary travel insurance. “The doctors explained to me that Sebastien’s problem is very serious and dangerous,” says Sebastien’s mother. “I’m so happy they will be able to fix it, God willing!”

"Sophia is a little bit shy and soft spoken. She is the fourth born in a family of five children," says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). "She is in class four and likes Swahili and Math subjects." 11-year-old Sophia is a girl from Tanzania who lives with unilateral clubfoot. She uses the lateral aspect of her left foot to walk, and thus is unable to walk properly. This impacts her long-term growth and puts her at risk for conditions such as osteoarthritis. "Sophia’s mother is a small scale business woman who works very hard to sell fresh fruits at an open market in their village," AMHF tells us. "Her father is a guard at an NGO. As much as they would love their daughter to get treatment, financially they are unable to do so." $1,160 will fund treatment for Sophia's condition. This includes a three-to-four month process of manipulation, casting, and re-positioning of the foot. After the treatment is complete, Sophia will be able to walk normally, and should see no complications down the line. Sophia is already planning for her future. “I will study hard to become a nurse,” she tells us.

“Ever since Lorenzo was born, he hasn’t been feeding well and I have been worried about his growth,” shares Lorenzo’s mother. Lorenzo is a one-year-old boy from southwestern Haiti. His parents travel to Port-au-Prince for work to support their family, while Lorenzo stays with his grandparents. Lorenzo is alert, playful, and a happy baby. “Lorenzo was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect," shares our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). "He has a large hole between the two lower chambers (ventricles) of his heart. Blood passes freely through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him sickly and short of breath. If untreated, this condition would be fatal.” For $1,500, we can fund transportation from Haiti and cardiac surgery for Lorenzo in a safe, fully-equipped hospital. After surgery, Lorenzo should have normal blood flow through his heart, and no longer experience symptoms of his condition. "I am excited to see him start eating better and gaining weight after his surgery!" shares Lorenzo's mother.

Meet Felista, a 53-year-old woman from Kenya! Felista is a married mother of six lovely children. She and her husband own half an acre of land, and they farm potatoes and vegetables to support their family. Three of their youngest children are currently in school, and the other three are currently unemployed. "Felista discovered a lump in her right breast six months ago," our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation tells us. "But she did not seek medical care because she did not have the funds." Unfortunately, this lump is indicative of breast cancer, and she needs to undergo a mastectomy and chemotherapy. "Felista and her husband are not able to raise the funds needed for her treatment," our medical partner explains. "I was very worried because I could not afford the cost of the treatment. Thank you Watsi for helping me!" says Felista. For only $740, we can fund Felista's surgery and chemotherapy sessions to help her get well!

Say hello to Pamela, a 39-year-old mother of five in Kenya, who is expecting her sixth child. Pamela married a farmer who owns land that he uses to provide for the family. She has learned valuable skills from the community health workers at Lwala Community Alliance, our medical partners in Kenya, including how to treat water so that it is safe to drink and how to prepare nutritious meals with locally grown produce. Although her hard work earns her enough money to feed her family and send her children to school, it is not enough to ensure that she will have a safe delivery. Lwala Community Alliance explains that "she is experiencing pains unlike pervious pregnancies [and] due to discomfort, is not able to perform all the chores in the house that are required to raise her other children." For $290, Pamela will receive prenatal and postnatal care, as well as a safe delivery in a healthcare facility. Let's help Pamela experience less pain throughout the rest of her pregnancy and ensure a sound delivery supervised by nurses!

“Before the accident, I was planning to go to college to learn computers and information technology. I wish to get well soon so that I can go to college, get a job and stop depending on my parents for my every need,” says Mathias. Mathias is a 25-year-old man from Kenya who has a fractured left arm. “Mathias was involved in a road traffic accident in November, 2014 and was admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital, the number one government hospital in Kenya. However, he could not receive treatment as his family had no money," reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Mathias is from an urban slum," AMHF continues. "He is the first born in a family of three. Mathias is unemployed and depends on his poor parents for support of his daily needs." For $1125, we can fund surgery to heal Mathias’ fractured arm. After the surgery, AMHF expects that “Mathias will be able to go to college, work and support himself.”

“Every time I am in a tap-tap going somewhere the folks look at me like I am not a normal person and this makes me feel very bad,” shares 20-year-old Kerson. Kerson was born in Haiti with a cleft lip, and has never been to school. Kerson has never met his father, and his single mother cares for all six of her children. Most days he is left on his own, so Kerson does whatever odd jobs he can find, like scavenging for metal or building small stoves. The family cannot afford medical care for Kerson’s cleft lip. For $960, we can fund cleft lip repair surgery for Kerson in collaboration with our partners at Project Medishare. “I feel very excited for the surgery,” Kerson relates. “It is like a new page of my life is going to be open. I did not even think that a surgery to fix my lip was possible. I cannot wait for it!”

Hast is a 56-year-old man from Nepal who lives with his family on a small piece of land along a river. Hast has a hydrocele, a fluid-filled sack near the top of his leg. “Hast first developed swelling about six years ago,” shares our medical partner, Possible. “Since then, he has developed progressive swelling which has made it difficult to sit, wear clothes, and do other ordinary things as well.” “We cannot afford the cost of the treatment,” Hast says. “Our situation is such that we may die without food because of our poverty; we have to work hard as wage laborers just to eat.” Doctors at Possible can repair Hast’s hydrocele for $430, which will relieve him from discomfort and allow him to work again.

“We love all of our children," Joseph's mother says, "and we especially wish that the position of Joseph’s foot can be corrected so that when he starts to walk he will be able to walk properly, and as he continues to grow he won’t have any mobility restrictions." Joseph is six months old and was born with a condition called clubfoot, that will prevent him from walking normally if it's not surgically treated now. "He will be bound to walk by using the lateral aspect of his right foot when he starts to walk," his doctors explain, "due to the congenital deformity of his foot. If not treated, he will most likely develop osteoarthritis of the foot at a young age." Joseph's parents are small scale farmers, they mostly grow maize (or corn). They own a small piece of land, but it doesn't yield enough to support the family on its own, so Joseph's father also works at a slaughterhouse. Joseph’s mother also sells fresh vegetables at an open market near their house. "They both work very hard so that their children can go to school and live a better life in the future," Joseph's medical team writes, "but Joseph’s parents need financial support so that their son can get the treatment which he badly needs." Let's fund Joseph's care and make this possible for them!