Davidson is a preschooler from Haiti. He lives with his parents and older brother in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. He will start preschool once he recovers from surgery. Davidson has a cardiac condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. This condition involves several related defects, including a hole between two chambers of the heart and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. On October 10, he will undergo cardiac surgery at St. Damien Hospital, our medical partner's care center. During surgery, surgeons will close the hole with a patch and remove the muscular blockage. Another organization, Gift of Life International, is contributing $5,000 to pay for surgery. Davidson's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 requested by our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, covers cardiac exams and medications. His mother says, "I will be very relieved for this surgery to be over because I have been very worried about my son's health."

Najati is a child from Tanzania. She has one younger sibling, and her mother cooks in a restaurant. When she was young, Najati began to have difficulty breathing and sleeping. She was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $633 to fund a tonsillectomy for Najati, which is scheduled to take place on November 2. Surgeons will remove her tonsils, hopefully relieving Najati of her symptoms and helping her live more comfortably. Najati’s mother says, “Please help my daughter get well, she is really suffering and it hurts me to watch her struggle and I cannot do anything, she does not sleep most nights due to not being able to breathe.”

Fidelica is a preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her parents and two older brothers in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. She goes to preschool and likes drawing and watching cartoons. Fidelica has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect. A hole exists between the two upper chambers of her heart. Fidelica will fly to Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On October 4, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will use a patch to close the hole in her heart. Another organization, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $5,000 to pay for surgery. Fidelica'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 Fidelica's family overseas. Her mother says, "We are very happy about this surgery so that Fidelica can start kindergarten without having health problems!"

Myint is a woman from Burma. She lives with her husband and two children. Her husband is a motorcycle taxi driver, while Myint takes care of her children. Myint was diagnosed with a heart condition that involves a malformation of the mitral valve, the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle. This valve controls the flow of blood, but certain conditions may cause blood to flow backward or the valve to narrow. Currently, Myint has difficulty breathing and no appetite. She is always tired and has pain under her lower ribs. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement for Myint. The treatment is scheduled to take place on September 2 and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably.

Sokchea is a tuk tuk driver from Cambodia. He has two sisters and four brothers. He likes to play football and listen to music in his free time. Five years ago, Sokchea had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Sokchea experiences pain, ear discharge, tinnitus, and hearing loss. He has difficulty hearing. Sokchea traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On August 9, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his right ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $842 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. His sister in law says, "We are happy he can have this operation and have good hearing again."

Lebahati is a 16-year-old from Tanzania. He is the third child in a family of seven. He loves playing football. After Lebahati was born, he began to experience unpleasant symptoms. The family walked a long distance to visit the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a bowel malformation. The family learned that he would need to undergo several procedures to correct the condition. Lebahati's father borrowed money from friends to pay for the first procedure, but his parents were unable to raise enough money to pay for further treatment. Fortunately, the family learned about our medical partner's care center and came seeking help. Now, Lebahati is scheduled to undergo another corrective surgery on July 11. This treatment will cost $1,500, and his family needs help raising these funds. He says, "Help me because I also want to go to school too."

Faith is a baby from Kenya. She is the youngest in a family of eight children. She lives with her parents and siblings in a one-room house in the Rift valley region of Kenya. Faith was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Faith is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,097 to cover the cost of Faith's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 6. This procedure will hopefully spare Faith from the risks associated with her condition, instead allowing her to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. “I am still in shock and trying to recover from the fear of this nightmare condition my child suffers,” shares Faith’s mother.

Nabimanya is a young student from Uganda. He has two siblings. His mother practices small-scale farming to meet the needs of her children, who are all in school. For six months, Nabimanya has been developing a swelling on his lower right eyelid. As a result, he experiences itchiness and discomfort. Nabimanya traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On April 5, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Nabimanya needs help to raise $187 to fund this procedure. Nabimanya's mother says, “I hope my son will get better after surgery and I continue with farming.”

Hilda is a baby from Tanzania. She is the first-born child in her small growing family. Hilda’s father works in a garage, and her mother is a stay-at-home mother. Since she was three months old, Hilda has been experiencing trouble breathing and has had frequent sleep apnea. Frequent illness has caused her parents to spend a lot of their time and money in hospitals. She was recently diagnosed with enlarged adenoids, which are the soft tissue behind the nasal cavity. Without treatment, this condition will cause Hilda's symptoms to persist and possibly even intensify. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $609 to fund an adenoidectomy for Hilda, which is scheduled to take place on May 3. Surgeons will remove her adenoids, hopefully relieving Hilda of her symptoms and helping her live more comfortably. Hilda’s mother says, “Please help my daughter get this treatment so that she is able to eat, breathe, and sleep.”

Moe is a 10-month-old baby boy who lives with his parents, uncle, grandmother, and older brother in Burma. His father used to work as a server in Bangkok, but he moved back home three months ago to help take care of Moe. Since Moe’s mother cannot work while she is looking after her two sons, they are forced to live off of their savings. Three months after Moe was born, his mother noticed that he had a bump on his left eyebrow. She took him to visit the doctor at Mae Tao Clinic, our medical partner's care center. He was sent to Mae Sot Hospital for further investigation. The doctor at the hospital diagnosed him with a cyst and scheduled him for a cyst removal surgery on April 10. Now, Moe's family needs help raising $1,500 to fund this procedure. “When he grows up, we want to send him to school and we will support him whatever he decides to become," says Moe's father.