Socheat is a 13-year-old girl and student in the fifth grade. She has one older sister. In her free time, she likes to read books and paint. About one year ago, Socheat developed a cataract in each eye. This makes it difficult for her to see clearly and attend her classes at school. Socheat and her mother traveled for one hour to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment. On June 20, eye surgeons at CSC will remove the cataract from each eye to help Socheat see more clearly. CSC is seeking $398 to help fund this operation.

Kethsaida is 12 years old and lives in Port-au-Prince with her mother, grandparents, and several siblings. She is in the sixth grade and enjoys going to school and learning new things. Her mother works at a day care center. She was born with two holes in her heart: one between the two upper chambers, and another between the two lower chambers. Blood leaks through both of these holes without first passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her sickly and weak. Kethsaida will fly to the Cayman Islands to receive treatment. On May 19, she will undergo cardiac surgery. This $15,000 surgery is subsidized by Have a Heart Cayman Islands. Kethsaida's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Kethsaida's family overseas. "I am excited for my surgery so that I can have more energy to do things," says Kethsaida.

“I want to be able to help other patients like me,” shares 12-year-old Yoon from Burma. Yoon is a thin girl, and has lacked in energy and appetite for her entire life. For the past year, Yoon has also had sore joints and a sore throat. Her symptoms became so severe that she eventually had to drop out of Grade Four. “The doctor diagnosed her with arthritis and explained that it was related to a damaged heart valve,” explain our partners at Burma Border Projects. “Her condition has also greatly impacted her family. . . the family moved from rural Burma to the city in the hope they could earn enough money to afford Yoon’s surgery. Despite their best efforts, their meagre wages are too low to ever cover the costs of her treatment.” For $1,500 we can fund complex cardiac surgery that will address Yoon’s damaged heart valve, and begin to alleviate her arthritis so that she may return to school. Following surgery, doctors expect Yoon to experience greater energy and appetite as well. Prior to her diagnosis, Yoon wanted to be a teacher. Now, seeing others affected by heart conditions, Yoon wishes to study to become a cardiac surgeon.

This is Kokoya Leloji, an eight-year-old girl from Tanzania! Kokoya lives in a small village in Northern Tanzania. Her mother had passed away, and her father is a pastoralist who has little money to support his daughter. “Kokoya has not been able to pass stool normally since birth,” our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) tells us. “This means that she experiences terrible pain and bloating.” Kokoya has a condition called Hirschprung’s disease in which there are missing nerve cells in part of her colon, making it difficult for her body to pass stool. Kokoya’s condition has made her unable to start school or participate in normal activities of daily living. “Her grandfather brought her to the hospital and is trying to take care for her,” AMHF explains. “They are not able to afford the treatment required for her condition. Although she is sick now, her grandfather reports that she is normally a very happy child!” “I hope for my granddaughter to be normal with this treatment,” Kokoya’s grandfather says. “Maybe she can go to school in the future.” For only $975, we can provide Kokoya with surgery to remove the affected part of her colon, allowing her to pass stool normally and develop into a healthy child!