Axel, who is a five year old kindergartener, lives with his parents in La Paz, Bolivia. His mother is studying engineering, while his father works in construction. Axel was born with a coronary fistula, a rare condition in which a hole exists between one of the arteries on the outside of the heart, and one of the chambers of the heart. Because of this condition, blood leaks through the hole, weakening Axel, because his heart does not receive sufficient blood flow. Fortunately, our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is here to help Axel access the treatment that he needs. On September 12th, doctors at Hospital del Niño Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría will sew the hole closed, so that blood can no longer leak through it. After surgery, Axel should be able to go on to live a strong and healthy life. Now Axel and his family need your help to fund this procedure, which will cost $1,500. Axel's mother said: "Our family is very happy to know that our son was chosen for surgery, and we are praying that everything will go well!"

Alex is a bright and active 2-year-old. He never stops moving as we talk with his parents about their story. Alex is youngest in a family of two children. His sibling is five years. His father and mother are fruit vendors in Githurai Market in Nairobi, Kenya. Alex was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Alex has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Alex will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on November 11th. AMHF is requesting $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Alex’s mother says, “I am afraid this condition will affect his confidence and his self-esteem in the future if not treated.”

Charles is a 13-year-old friendly boy from Kimana, a few kilometers from Mt. Kilimanjaro on the Kenyan side. He is the second born in a family of three and is in class 4 at his school. Charles has angular deformities and had surgeries to release his knees in 2010 and 2017. He walks in a crouched gait that makes it difficult for him generally and has to use crutches to support himself. Doctors recommend that he have a bilateral hamstring release that will allow him to walk with better ease. Charles's family comes from a humble background. His mother is a housewife and his father a subsistence farmer. Their income is limited to meet the cost of surgery and their family is thus asking for assistance. "I am requesting for support for my son to undergo surgery and resume back to a normal life.” Veronicah, Charles’s mother told us.

Lucy is a woman from Kenya. She works as a farmer. In August, Lucy started having twitches in her left leg that left her numb in her calf. She suffered persistent headaches, and soon her ability to walk altered. Her farming activities had to be put on hold. After undergoing an MRI, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. On October 17, she will undergo a surgery to excise the tumor. If not treated, Lucy is at a risk of suffering brain damage. Now, she needs help raising $1,495 to pay for surgery.

Lensley lives in a port city in northern Haiti with his parents, grandmother, and four older siblings. He is an extremely outgoing child who likes dancing to music and making new friends. Lensley was born with a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole in his heart, which normally closes shortly after birth, remained open. Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him feeling weak. Lensley needs to undergo cardiac surgery. First, Lensley will undergo a full cardiac assessment on January 15. This assessment will include physical exams, labs, and an overnight stay at the hospital. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to fund these procedures. Funding for Lensley also covers the cost of medications and social support for him and him family. Gift of Life International is contributing $3,500 to cover additional costs associated with Lensley's surgical care. "We have known about Lensley's heart problem since he was a baby, but never thought there could be a way to help him," says Lensley's mother. "Thank you all!"

"I am happy that I can have this surgery so I will have more energy, and don't have to be as worried about my health anymore,” says Elizabeth, a 17-year-old from Haiti. Elizabeth does the best she can to pursue her interests, which include school, going to church, playing with her sisters, and listening to music. But a health condition sometimes makes it hard to do all of this without getting tired. Elizabeth is 17 now, but when she was 12, she fell ill with rheumatic fever. The disease infected the valves of her heart, and severely damaged one of them. This valve no longer opens and closes normally, which in turn means that blood backs up into her heart and does not circulate adequately through her body. This causes Elizabeth to feel fatigued much of the time. Furthermore, if left untreated, the condition could become fatal. There is a surgical procedure that can repair Elizabeth’s damaged heart valve. However, her parents, who are farmers, cannot afford to pay for this operation on her own. Fortunately, a hospital, Health City Cayman Islands, has offered to subsidize the $10,000 cost of the surgery itself. What we still need to raise is $1,500 to cover the diagnostic tests and transportation costs that Elizabeth needs in order to travel to the Cayman Islands for her surgery—including passports, airfare, and a stipend for the family that will host her there. Obtaining this surgery for Elizabeth now will help her pursue a bright future. She is a strong student, and would someday like to go on to college, then open a business.

Ngu is a 20-year-old woman from Burma. “When Ngu was an infant, she was very thin, and did not gain weight quickly, even though her appetite appeared normal,” says our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “She had difficulty breathing and she did not sleep well. Her family did not seek health care for Ngu at this time as her symptoms appeared to diminish over time; however, in 2015, Ngu sought medical care at a clinic in Mandalay as she was experiencing chest pain, difficult breathing and couldn’t walk far or do activities for an extended period.” Ngu has a heart defect known as an abdominal aortic aneurysm. BBP adds that in the previous few years, Ngu experienced a decline in her health and as a result she dropped out of school after completing the 10th grade. She now needs heart surgery to correct the defect and ensure she can live symptom-free for the rest of her life. However, Ngu and her family cannot afford the cost of the treatment she needs. “Her entire family is involved in the family business, which is the production and distribution of food snacks. Business drops off considerably during the rainy season and at that time, they may need to borrow money to tide them over,” BBP says. “Ngu does light housework at home to help out and she enjoys listening to music and playing video games during her free time.” Burma Children’s Medical Fund has contributed $13,525 toward Ngu’s surgery cost. An additional $1,500 will fully fund this life-saving procedure and allow Ngu to grow up healthy. “I would like to become a doctor, a heart surgeon,” Ngu says, “so I could do free surgeries for those that need them.”


This is Rebecca, a one-year-old girl from Haiti! Rebecca is her father and mother’s first child, and her parents are both vendors at their local market. “Rebecca was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect,” our medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) tells us. “A large hole exists between the two lower chambers (ventricles) of her heart. As a result, blood flows through this hole and back to her body without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen. This leaves her very weak and sickly, and would be fatal if not treated.” “She has been very sickly since birth, and has spent much of her life so far in and out of the hospital for cardiac complications and malnutrition related to her heart problem,” HCA continues. “It has been such a struggle to get Rebecca to feed and gain weight ever since she was born,” Rebecca’s mother tells us. “I hope that after her surgery she will get an appetite and start to grow!” For $1,500, we can support Rebecca by funding the overseas prep and transportation she needs to get to a hospital that can provide her surgery. The surgery will close the hole in Rebecca’s heart and hopefully enable her to lead a normal life.

Meet Kham, an eight-year-old boy from Thailand who loves to paint and enjoys learning English. Currently, Kham has very blurry vision out of his right eye and has been diagnosed with a detached retina, meaning that the retina has separated from the back of the eye. Burma Border Projects, our medical partner, writes that “without surgery, blindness may result. He has already lost vision in his left eye due to retinal detachment so it's imperative for his future wellbeing he have the surgery.” "Kham grew up in Burma but moved to Thailand a year and a half ago when his family made the decision to leave in search of better work opportunities. His parents are day laborers and earn a very low income of $20 a day between them. They have spent all their savings and have gone into debt trying to raise money for his medical treatment for his left eye in vain.” Kham has stopped schooling in order to get treatment, and though his parents are worried, “they are very hopeful that the surgery to fix his right eye will be a success and will secure him a brighter future." "With treatment, Kham's vision in his right eye will be fully or partially restored. Kham is looking forward to seeing clearly out of his right eye and returning to school. He understands that he has already missed out on a lot of school and will be behind. However, he is very determined to catch up with the class!" For $1500, Kham can get retinal reattachment surgery that will help him see clearly again.