Meet Sabina: a married mother of six children aged 23, 16, 12, 10, 6 and 4 years from Malawi. She is a farmer together with her husband. Her first child is married with one child and the rest of the children are in primary school except the last born who is yet to join school. Sabina likes chatting with her children and enjoys eating nsima made from maize flour with vegetables. Sabina was well until 18 months ago when she noted a small lump on her right breast that was not painful. She visited the nearest hospital where she was referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) for further assessments. At KCH, different tests were done, and a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma was made followed by four cycles of neo-adjuvant therapy during September 2023. Sabina was later scheduled for surgery that same month, but unfortunately she did not report back since her last child was sick and admitted to the hospital for malaria. On January 16th this year, Sabina went back to KCH where she was referred to our medical partner's care center PIH for a modified radical mastectomy. Of late, Sabina has been experiencing needle pricking pains that are becoming unbearable without pain-relieving medications plus backache, weakness, and leg & chest pains affecting her farm work plus household chores. Sabina believes the surgical operation will help her get back to her normal condition and for her to continue taking care of her children and resume her farm work. Sabina said, “It is better to remain with one breast than have two with problems, I will move on with one breast.”

Maria is a 16-year-old girl who hails from a sizable family comprising of six siblings. Following her father’s death, they are now under the care of their single mother in Karatu, Arusha region. Despite facing challenges such as a delayed milestone condition, Maria is currently a secondary school student. Initially experiencing delays in sitting, walking, and running, as well as intellectual development, Maria spent much of her time indoors with her parents. Despite difficulty blending in with her peers, she now relishes attending school and excels in her classes. Her notable success in primary national exams paved the way for a promising secondary education. Maria’s healthcare journey began when she was three years old when her parents observed her leg twisting downward. Maria has clubfoot of right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Financial constraints prevented them from addressing her medical needs, and despite this condition, Maria discovered joy in life through participation in a choir. Recently, Maria’s family learned about our partner Kafika house and their services. Filled with hope, Maria’s mother and brother embarked on a journey, leaving the center with optimism about her foot condition. Following introductions, an assessment was done by the team there. Now the team will begin her clubfoot treatment on December 15th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $935 to fund Maria's clubfoot repair. After treatment, Maria's mobility will significantly improve and she can continue chasing big dreams. Maria says: “I hope my leg improves. Walking long distances can be exhausting, and I look forward to being able to enjoy dancing while singing in the choir.”

Keisha is a 5-month-old baby from Haiti, where she lives with parents and her older sister. Keisha is just starting to smile. Keisha has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid –the fluid which surrounds the brain– accumulates in the brain, increasing intracranial pressure. The accumulation of fluid has caused Keisha's head to expand beyond a normal range. In addition, Keisha has been experiencing another symptom--her eyes are focused downward (sometimes called “sunsetting of the eyes”). Keisha was brought to the hospital recently, needing emergency treatment for the pressure in her head. The neurosurgeon was able to temporarily relieve the pressure by removing some fluid from Keisha's head. But Keisha needs further treatment or else she will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Keisha is scheduled for surgery to put a flexible plastic tube called a shunt in her brain to redirect the cerebrospinal fluid into another part of her body. The shunt typically isn’t ever removed, and regular checkups are important to make sure it’s working. Draining the excess fluid from Keisha's brain will reduce the pressure and greatly improve the quality of her life. With proper treatment, Keisha will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Keisha at Hospital Bernard Mevs. This is the only site in Haiti where this care is currently available, and the procedure is scheduled to take place on October 19th. Keisha's family is hoping that the surgery will be a success and she can have a healthier future.

Leonard is a 41-year-old lumberjack from Kenya. He is a bachelor, has no children, and lives alone in his grandfather’s place. His work as a lumberjack is seasonal and he sometimes works on peoples' farms to earn money for basic needs. His relatives live in faraway places and are of limited socio-economic status. Leonard has no medical coverage and cannot raise the money required for his needed medical treatment. Leonard was injured while felling trees. One of the trees fell on Leonard, hitting him on his right hip. He fell, and the people with him ran away, thinking he had died. Leonard was unable to walk and slept at the scene. Luckily one of his neighbors passed by and found him. Leonard's neighbors carried him to the hospital for treatment as he could not stand or walk. An x-ray revealed that he had a complete fracture of the upper end of his right femur. He is now admitted to the surgical ward on bed rest because his fracture is at a weight-bearing joint. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On October 2nd, Leonard will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. A surgeon will make an incision, realign the bones, and insert hardware to hold the bones together. Subsequently, after recovery, Leonard will be able to walk again. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,247 to fund this procedure. Leonard says, “It is so sad that I cannot now walk but I thank God that I am alive because that tree was big. Please help me so that I may be able to work and be able to sustain myself because I have nobody to depend on.”

Kaleb is the only child of his mother and father; they live in La Paz, Bolivia. His father works in construction and his mother is a homemaker. Kaleb was born two months premature with a ventricular septal defect, or a hole between the two lower chambers of his heart. Blood leaks through this hole, leaving the lungs unable to obtain oxygen. This leaves Kaleb weak and short of breath, and making it hard for him to gain weight. Last year Kaleb underwent a surgery to prepare him for the one he currently needs. It stabilized his heart so he could gain some weight in order to safely have the congenital cardiac surgery. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is able to help with his upcoming procedure. Kaleb and his family need help raising $1,500 for his surgery that will take place September 14th. Kaleb’s mother says “Our son has been in and out of the hospital and very sick ever since he was born. We hope he will have a chance to be a normal child after his surgery."

Siek Meng is a 15-year-old who resides in the Prey Veng province of Cambodia with her parents and two younger brothers. Her parents make a living as rice farmers, and when Siek Meng returns home from school, she helps care for her siblings. During her free time, she enjoys learning English by watching English-language films and television shows. She aspires to pursue higher education in the capital of Phnom Penh and study medicine in the future. Around the age of 6, Siek Meng and her parents noticed something concerning about her back. However, they postponed seeking treatment until two years later due to the high cost of treatment and not considering it essential at that time. Unfortunately, the condition has since deteriorated, and she has been diagnosed with scoliosis, a deformity of the spine. In the past year, Siek Meng has experienced increased difficulty breathing as her rib cage presses on her lungs. Additionally, she occasionally feels numbness in her legs caused by her vertebrae compressing nerves. Thankfully, Siek Meng and her father undertook a challenging journey of two and a half hours to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), seeking assistance for her disability. The medical team at CSC plans to perform a spinal fusion with implants on August 2nd, which requires financial support as the operation costs $1500. This amount will cover radiology, medications, surgery, and post-operative physiotherapy care. CSC is requesting $1500 to help fund this procedure for Siek Meng. Siek Meng shared, "I am feeling embarrassed about my back and I want to not have chest pain anymore. I hope after surgery I can go back to school and be able to walk around my village more easily."

Nanyu is a 3-year-old girl from Southern Kenya near the Tanzania border. She is from a nomadic community and is the youngest of 6 children. Her mother is a homemaker, while her father is a pastoralist. The family lives in a traditional Masai mud-built grass-thatched house. Nanyu has a right foot deformity where her knee bends inwardly to touch the other left knee. This has made walking difficult, and sometimes she has pain. She has been taken to several clinics without getting any help. Luckily, our partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) can finally help. They will perform a surgery treat the deformity, scheduled for July 17th. Nanyu and her family are asking for $1,224 to fully fund the procedure. With successful treatment, Nanyu will be able to walk easily and grow up like any other child. Nanyu's mother shared, “As a mother, my joy would be to see my daughter walking well and playing with other friends."

Susan is a soft-spoken woman from Kenya. She is a widow and a mother of six children who are now all adults. She currently resides in her ancestral home in Limuru, Kenya. For four months, Susan has been experiencing pain and abnormal bleeding. She has been diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia, a precancerous condition that impacts her quality of life. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Susan's national health insurance coverage has not been active, and despite reactivation, she will have to wait for more than 60 days before using it. However, she is unable to continue living with her condition as is and urgently needs to undergo her procedure to rid her body of the risk of cancer. Her family cannot afford her treatment and is appealing for financial assistance. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1260 to fund Susan's surgery. On June 1st, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Susan will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Susan says, “I am old and need to get treatment for this bleeding condition. It is very uncomfortable.”

Ko Thaw, who is 27 years old, lives with his extended family in Burma. In early June 2022, Ko Thaw- who was working in a factory in Malaysia- developed a headache. Later that day, he also experienced chest pain, a racing heart, and an episode of vomiting. His employer brought him to the hospital, and after some testing, Ko Thaw was informed there was a problem with his aortic valve. He was given medications and a follow-up appointment. In January 2023, Ko Thaw's health deteriorated, and he was brought back to the hospital. An echocardiogram showed aortic valve regurgitation, and Ko Thaw was told that he would need surgery. His employer wouldn't pay for the surgery, and as Ko Thaw couldn't afford to pay for this on his own, he tried to manage his condition with medication. But when the medications stopped working, Ko Thaw decided to move back to Burma. Ko Thaw was referred to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. With their help, he is now scheduled to undergo mitral valve replacement surgery on May 14th at Pun Hlaing Hospital. For Ko Thaw, who currently experiences chest pain, insomnia, muscle stiffness, and headaches with fever, this surgery can't happen soon enough. Now he is seeking your help to raise $1,500 to cover the cost of his treatment. "I hope I can find suitable work soon after my surgery. I would like to say thank you so much. You all do incredible work for poor people who need assistance," said Ko Thaw.