Cristel is an only child from Guatemala, and a joy to her parents. Cristel loves to eat beans, which are her favorite food, color and paint, and play with her dolls. Her father works in a clothing factory in Guatemala, and her mother takes care of Cristel, cooks, and cleans. Cristel lives with her mother and extended family in one-room house in a Maya Quiche village in the mountains. The family loves to spend their free time going to church, where Cristel has joined the choir. Cristel was born with several heart defects. One of them is a hole in her heart, which makes her heart work twice as hard to pump oxygenated blood into her body. She also has a defect in the veins that take blood from the lungs to the heart, which connect to the heart in the wrong place, meaning that oxygenated blood enters and leaves from the wrong part of the heart, depriving her body of oxygenated blood. If she does not receive immediate treatment, she could go into heart failure, have high blood pressure in the lungs (which is damaging), dangerous irregular heart rhythms, or a stroke. Although Cristel's father works hard, he makes only a couple dollars per day, making this life-saving surgery a luxury they cannot afford for their daughter. This surgical intervention will repair the defects in Cristel's heart and veins. $1,169 in funds will allow Watsi's medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, to provide surgeons and necessary medication for Cristel's condition. Once her heart can function properly, she will be able to run and play like a normal child, and her mother will be able to send her to school without worry. She will be able to run and play for long periods of time, and be more independent, allowing her to attend school. This treatment will greatly improve her quality of life now, and prevent her from facing the life-threatening consequences of her defects later on. Her mother shares: "I hope this surgery helps Cristel to go to school, so she can study and one day be a secretary."

"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.

“I want to become a doctor," shares Lavenda, a seven-year-old girl who lives with her aunt in Kenya. In the fall of 2014, Lavenda's grandmother became concerned about her granddaughter's low sound perception and inability to talk. Lavenda was taken to a medical facility for ear, nose, and throat conditions. While there, doctors cleaned her ears, but her hearing did not improve. In 2016, Lavenda was referred to our facility for further treatment and was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs as a result of damage to the sensory cells in the inner ear or the nerve pathways leading from the inner ear to the brain. Possible causes include illnesses, medications, aging, head trauma, and exposure to loud noises. In most cases, there are no medical or surgical interventions to restore normal hearing, making it the most common type of permanent hearing loss. Doctors recommended that Lavenda wear hearing aids to amplify the sound vibrations transmitted to her ears, but her aunt, who sells goods at a grocery shop to earn a living, is unable to raise the full amount of money needed to pay for them. Lavenda does not receive any financial support from her mother and father, who separated with Lavenda was only a year old. Without the hearing aids, Lavenda will have weak academic and social performance. She is still in pre-school due to learning difficulties attributed to her hearing problem. For $712, Lavenda will receive two hearing aids, batteries, and molds to ensure proper fit within her ears. “I know Lavenda is bright, and I want the best for her," says her aunt. "Please help her."

Than Dar is a 27-year-old woman who lives in Burma with her parents, her eight-year-old daughter and three-year-old son, and her two sisters. She enjoys listening to music in her free time. Than Dar has been healthy her entire life. However, a month ago she began experiencing abdominal pain and excessive bleeding that prompted her to visit several clinics. Than Dar received a blood test and ultrasound, which she paid for herself, and these exams revealed a uterine mass. After her examinations in April, Than Dar was referred for further care, where another ultrasound confirmed previous reports of the presence of a mass close to the ovary. As a result of her mass, Than Dar is experiencing pain in her lower abdomen and back, tenderness upon pressing the area, and excessive bleeding. She hasn't been able to work for a month but she can help her mother with light household chores. Than Dar is scheduled for surgery to remove her mass, but she requires financial assistance to cover the $1,500 procedure that will eliminate her pain and rid her of future risks associated with the growth. She has been living and working as a shop vendor in Thailand for the past two years. Her work enables her to send money home to support her children and other family members. The family's total income is sufficient for their day-to-day needs and they can pay for minor medical expenses; however, they are unable to put any money away for savings. Than Dar hopes to get back to work to support her children after her surgery. "I want my children to go to school and become educated," she says. "I only completed third grade and I want them to do better. Whatever they decide to do with their lives is fine, as I only want them to be happy with their lives."

“Ivan was born on April 14, 2016 and he is the first child to his parents,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. “Ivan was born with multiple deformities: clubfoot, a lesion on his lower back, as well as water in his head. He is at risk of easily contracting infections through the lesion, and too much intracranial pressure will cause him to lose his ability to see if not treated." “Other than the anomalies he has, Ivan is doing well. His parents were expecting a healthy baby, but now that their baby is born with multiple deformities they want him to get the right treatment. Ivan’s mother is a homemaker and his father is a small scale farmer. Ivan’s father is the first born to his parents and the one whom his parents and siblings are looking up to for support. Apart from supporting his parents, he is also paying for two of his siblings to go to school. With so many responsibilities, the little that he earns is not enough to cover the cost of surgery which his son badly needs." Ivan needs surgery to close the defect in his spinal canal, and drain the excess fluid in his head. This procedure will cost $1,200. "Successful treatment will save Ivan’s eyesight and with long term physical exercises, Ivan will be able to walk." “Education is all that I can give to my son for him to live a better and independent life when he grows up. All I hope is for him to get well and everything else will follow,” shares Ivan’s father.

"We would like to ask for help for the treatment of our son. We are greatly concerned for his future," share the parents of 14-month-old Archiel. Archiel lives with his family in the Philippines, and has been diagnosed with unilateral clubfoot. "Archiel cannot walk, he is only capable of rolling from left to right," shares our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). "His mother observed that he has poor locomotive and speech development. This makes it hard for them to address his needs and keep him safe. One parent has to stay in the house and watch him all the time and that prevents his parents to work and sustain their family's needs." "Archiel gives his parents so much joy," ICM continues. "Though he cannot speak or walk, he manages to give happiness to his family by smiling and giggling when he is happy. Those simple moments are greatly cherished by the family. His parents are working together to supply for the needs of the family, but still, their income is not even enough for the needs of the children. That is why it is very hard for them to provide for his treatment." For $1,500, Archiel will receive treatment and surgery to correct his clubfoot. After surgery, "Archiel will be more comfortable in facing challenges in learning and development. As part of him is being treated, this can pave the way that other conditions can also be addressed. This surgery will also increase the quality of life of their family as it address the emotional needs, physical needs, and economic needs that is attached to his condition. With the surgery, he can now also start learning and developing his locomotive skills which will also hasten all other learning stages he has to face in his age," ICM adds. "We have been praying that our time to work for our family will be more than what we can do now," Archiel's parents add, "So the future of our children will be brighter. We also would like our life to become a testimony that God truly touches lives and hearts to help the poor like us. We would like to see Archiel grow, walk, go to school and fulfill whatever dream he has."

Meet Hla, a 43-year-old wife and mother from Burma. Early last year, Hla felt a mass in her abdomen gradually become bigger. At the time the pain did not bother her, so Hla used traditional medicine but with no noticeable improvement. This February, she decided to visit a clinic and an ultrasound identified a uterine mass. Hla lives with her husband and her niece’s family. Her children have all married and moved away. Her husband and niece’s family work as day laborers. Hla grows crops, including banana plants, coconut, and eggplant, and sells pigs to cover other expenses. Her family can sustain their food and other expenses, but do not have the ability to cover healthcare costs. Hla explains, “We are too poor to solve this health problem. It is very difficult in Burma because the health expenditures are so expensive.” Doctors with our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), have diagnosed the mass as non-cancerous. However, they have still recommended surgery to have the mass removed in order to avoid any other complications. $1,500 will cover the cost of the surgery Hla needs to remove the mass, the necessary medical supplies, and her hospital stay. BBP explains that, “following a successful surgery, Hla will be able to rejoin her family without having to worry about her health condition and the costs to her family. When she returns, she will also be able to contribute to the household income.” Hla shares, “I hope to get an operation as soon as possible. When I get well, I want to work and save money to help my family."