Win is a 32-year-old father from Burma. He resides with his wife and six-year-old daughter. Win runs a small jam shop with his wife. During his free time, he enjoys using social media and playing football with his friends. Win was diagnosed with a heart condition that requires valve replacement. Heart valves control the flow of blood between chambers, but certain conditions may narrow the heart valve or cause the blood to flow backwards. Normal valve function is necessary to prevent long term damage to the heart and lungs. Win experiences chest pain, palpitations, and difficulty sleeping due to night sweats. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a heart valve replacement for Win. The treatment is scheduled to take place on December 13th at Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital. Once completed, Win will hopefully live more comfortably and with such high risk from his cardiac condition. Win said, “Thank you for your assistance with my treatment. I’m glad and thankful for the support from BCMF."

Alex is the 3rd born in a family of four children and hails from Longonot, Naivasha, in Nakuru county. His mother told us he likes playing with other kids at home. Alex came to Cure Hospital accompanied by his mother, Grace, a housewife, and his father, farmer. Alex was born with multiple disabilities - spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and bilateral foot deformity. He underwent treatment for spina bifida when he was five days old, and hydrocephalus treatment was done at the age of eight months. Currently, he tiptoes as he walks and often falls. He is scheduled to undergo bilateral serial casting and then foot reconstruction surgery. The treatment will be impactful to the young boy because he will be able to walk, run, and play like other children and continue with his education uninterrupted. Alex's mother said, "I believe the joy of a mother is to see her children growing well and not with challenges, and therefore, I would love to see Alex walking normally like other children if given assistance."

Jaziel is a 13-month old toddler from Ethiopia who loves to play and laugh with his parents. He is an only child, and his mother works in their home, while his father is a driver for a construction site company. They live in a rented one-bedroom house on the outskirts of town. Jaziel was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of cancer and infertility. His mother said, "When the doctor told us about his condition, we were sad and disturbed. I didn't even fully understand the condition. I thought it was something else. I understood the condition after the doctor at Cure Ethiopia explained it to me; I felt a bit relieved, but it was a hard year." Fortunately, Jaziel is now scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on October 12th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH) is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Jaziel's mother said, “After the surgery, we hope he will be normal and be able to go to the bathroom as normal as other children.”

Luana is the only child of her mother and father. Her mother is a college student hoping to become a doctor, and her father is a market vendor. They live in the Amazon basin of northeastern Bolivia. Luana was born with a condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart; blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. Luana also has Down syndrome. Our partner International Cardiac Alliance is requesting $1,500 to fund cardiac surgery which will help her to grow up healthy and active. Luana's mother shares, "We are so grateful that the hospital selected our daughter to have surgery, and we are praying everything will go well!"

Linn's Baby is a four-day-old girl who lives with her parents and three older sisters in a village in Thailand. She is so young, that she is not yet named. Her parents are day laborers. Linn's Baby was born with multiple health challenges including Down syndrome and congenital heart disease. In addition, her mother noticed that she wasn't passing stool, and when the doctors examined her, they discovered that she also has a condition known as imperforate anus. What this means is that Linn's Baby was born without an opening, which is a birth condition that occurs while the fetus is still developing in the womb. To address her condition, Linn's Baby will undergo surgery on August 4th at Mae Sot General Hospital, to place a colostomy, that will allow her to pass stool until she grows bigger and stronger, and better able to tolerate additional surgeries. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is seeking $1,500 to cover the costs of this procedure. Her mother said: "I cannot watch my daughter suffer from these conditions. I think she is crying because she wants breastmilk. She is my first baby born with such conditions. My other daughters are all healthy. I feel very sad for her.”

Samson is an eight-year-old boy from Mpanda, Tanzania. He is the third born in a family of six children. His father diligently tends to a small farm that supplies their food, while the mother undertakes various daily jobs to contribute to the household income and assist with household tasks. Nevertheless, these endeavors present difficulties in fully meeting the family's needs. Samson currently needs medical intervention due to a condition he has been experiencing that limits his mobility. At the age when he began walking, signs of bowed legs started to appear. Unfortunately, as he grew older, the condition worsened, causing concerns for his parents regarding his future. During one of our medical partner's outreach visits to Samson's village, we had the opportunity to inform his parents about a potential surgical treatment for their son's condition. They were overjoyed to learn there may be help for their son. Upon arrival at our medical partner's care center, Samson and his guardian were warmly welcomed by their team. After a brief intake procedure, he was sent for an assessment. Our medical partner's team subsequently diagnosed him with a left genu varus, which will require surgical treatment to correct his left leg and alleviate the discomfort he is currently facing. Samson's condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, often from contaminated drinking water. This condition has also posed difficulties for Samson in terms of starting and attending school, as the school is located approximately four kilometers away from their home. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Samson. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 6th. Treatment will restore Samson's mobility, allow him to participate in school and various activities, and significantly decrease his risk of future complications. Samon's guardian says, "We wish that his condition gets better. We are praying for a better outcome from the treatment."

Wine is a three-year-old boy who lives with his parents and siblings in Karen State - an area of Burma that is in a state of crisis and conflict. Wine’s father is a construction day laborer and his mother stays at home with Wine and his siblings. Wine's older brother lives in Bangkok and his sister lives in Shan State and is able to send Wine's household money every month. His other four siblings are students. Wine was born in 2019 with a condition called hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is caused by a brain malformation or birth defect that causes excessive cerebrospinal fluid to accumulate in brain cavities. Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear, colorless liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, protecting them from injury. It carries nutrients to the brain and spinal cord and takes away waste. In a healthy person, the amount of this fluid produced by the brain is absorbed by the body. In hydrocephalus, the fluid fails to drain and accumulates, leading to pressure on the brain. Wine's symptoms include a lump on the bridge of his nose. His eyes frequently water, and he cries a lot when he is in severe pain. Additionally, his head is gradually increasing in size as the fluid continues to build. The condition is most often treated by inserting a shunt. The shunt diverts excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the brain to another part of the body where the fluid can be reabsorbed. Wine visited a doctor when he was born to address the issue. While he was in the process of receiving treatment across the border at a hospital in Thailand, the Thai-Burma border shut down due to the outbreak of COVID-19. With the closure of the Thai-Burma border, Wine and his family could not go back to his follow-up care. Fortunately, after the Thai-Burma border reopened, Wine was able to meet with our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Wine received a CT scan at Mae Sot General Hospital and the doctor was able to diagnose the issue and scheduled Wine to undergo surgery immediately on June 2nd. BCMF is now requesting $1,500 to help fund this procedure. Wine's mother said, "I want him to be able to walk, sit, and be healthy like other children his age. My husband and two of my children work, so I can take good care of Wine. I cry a lot whenever I see Wine suffering from pain, but now I feel like I no longer have to shed a tear for him because of that. I don’t want to be rich, nor do I want him to be rich. I only want Wine to be healthy and happy."

Joyline is a 14-year-old student at a primary school in Kenya, where she lives with her parents and two younger siblings. Her parents are small-scale farmers who plant potatoes and beans, mainly for home consumption, with some sold for an income. They live in a home without electricity, using firewood as their source of heat, while getting their water from a nearby river. Joyline reported that she started feeling pain in her leg in November of last year. Her parents brought her to two different facilities, where the only treatment provided was pain medication. Walking has become difficult to the point she had to stop going to school and is unable to walk on her own. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, can help. On May 9th, Joyline will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation, at AIC Kapsowar Hospital. The treatment will repair her fractured femur, and enable her to live a pain-free life. Now, African Mission Healthcare Foundation is requesting $1,145 to fund this procedure. Joyline says: "I feel so much pain, and the worst of it all is that I cannot walk. I am so uncomfortable when I see my mother helping me do things that I could do on my own. Kindly help me so that I may be able to go back to school and study well, as this is my final year in primary school."