Luc Stanley is nine years old and lives with his mother and four sisters in Haiti. "He is in the second grade in school, and his favorite subject is mathematics. He would like to be an engineer or an architect when he grows up," says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). Luc Stanley was born with a cardiac condition called tetralogy of fallot, characterized by a hole between two chambers of his heart, and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. "As a result, blood cannot circulate normally through his body, and he is at constant risk of sudden death," HCA adds. For $1,500, Luc Stanley will undergo cardiac surgery to repair the hole and remove the muscular blockage in his heart. This operation has been subsidized with $5,000 by International Children's Heart Foundation. Surgery will allow Luc Stanley's heart to function normally and circulate blood to the rest of his body so that he can play with his friends and live free from the concern of sudden cardiac arrest. "I have never been able to play soccer with my friends, and so I am looking forward to learning how to play when my surgery is done!” Luc Stanley says.

Meet Angela, a 5-month-old baby girl from Guatemala. Angela has six older brothers, and lives with her family in a rural village. “Angela’s family is very close knit because they have suffered a lot together,” shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). “They have faced financial challenge after challenge. Angela’s older brother had to undergo a cleft palate surgery – the cost of which (medicines, transport to hospital, recovery) took an enormous toll on the family.” Currently, Angela suffers from acute malnutrition. “Her mother cannot produce enough breast milk to feed her,” WK tells us. “Angela is constantly crying out of hunger, but there is nothing she can do, as the family cannot afford formula.” With $1,220 in funding, Angela will receive formula supplementation to remedy her malnutrition. “Angela’s height and weight will start to increase,” says WK. “Her immune system will strengthen and her energy will increase. She will avoid the long-term effects of malnutrition.” “I just don’t want her to suffer like her brothers have,” shares Angela’s mother. With our help, Angela will be able to recover her strength and continue growing up with her family.

Maria, a newborn just under two weeks old from Guatemala, was the result of an undesired pregnancy. Luckily, a wonderful family in a rural community eagerly adopted Maria, raising her as their own. Our hospital partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, writes. "they are so excited about this little child, and they brought her to see us. The major problem is that, since she is adopted, there is no maternal milk supply. Furthermore, her new family is quite poor and can't therefore afford to buy milk formula for the baby. They are struggling to scrape together what money they have, but in the meantime, the child is losing weight and not growing well." They add, "it was a real pleasure to meet this family, the parents are so excited to have a new baby and to be able to have adopted this little one out of a bad situation. At the same time, they're worried about how to make ends meet, and they've come to us for help." For $1220, we can provide the final step for Maria achieving health and happiness with her new family. Maria will receive close growth monitoring treatment by nutrition experts. Her new mom will receive coaching on how to properly supplement with formula and will be provided with all the necessary infant formula Maria will need through her first year of life. With this treatment, Maria will regain weight quickly and grow and develop normally.

Daniel, born only 11 days ago in Kenya, lives with his parents and older sibling. Daniel's father works as a carpenter to support his family, and his mother tends to the crops they grow on a small plot of land. Daniel was born with spina bifida, an incomplete closing of the spinal column, leaving him with an open mass on his back. Left untreated, he is likely to develop various infections, malformations of the spine, and continued discomfort. Daniel's mother hopes to see her son receive the help he needs, as she says that all she wants "is to see my son well. I want to see Daniel live a healthy life like my other child.” For $980, we can provide Daniel with a surgery that would close the spina bifida and greatly reduce his chances of developing scoliosis and infection. Let us provide Daniel the opportunity at the healthy childhood that his family dreams of!

Say hello to six-day old Faith. She lives in Kenya and is her parents' first child. Faith's dad is a driver and her mom is a homemaker. Faith was born with a gap in her spine called spina bifida. If not treated, Faith is likely to develop a tethered cord, which leads to abnormal curvature of the spine. She also has an open mass on her back which is at risk of becoming infected. Faith’s father says, “It is so painful to see my firstborn child go through such a stressful condition. My wish is for her get treatment as soon as possible.” Faith needs $980 for an operation to close the cap in her vertebrae. This will help prevent infection and reduce the chances of her developing an abnormally-shaped back as she continues to develop. Let's take care of Faith and fund her operation.

Just looking at his picture, you can tell that Wood is going to blossom with personality as he grows up. Wood is a 12-month-old boy from Haiti who was born with syndactyly, a condition where two or more of his fingers are fused together. Wood's mother explained to our medical partners, Project Medishare, that she was "very scared when she delivered and saw her baby in that condition." Wood's mother takes care of her four children and is also the sole breadwinner for the family, as their father does not currently have a job. This makes money tight. Wood's parents have been unable to afford surgery for their child. For $1,500, we can help fund surgical intervention for Wood. This will allow skilled doctors to operate on Wood and free him from a life of disability. Let's work together to allow Wood to grow up and use his hands like the other children around him!

A few months ago, Ralph's mom started noticing that his head was swelling. She took him to the hospital, and after doctors performed a CT scan, they learned that Ralph has excess fluid in his brain, a condition called hydrocephalus. The excess fluid in Ralph's brain places extra pressure on his nerves and blood vessels. As a result, he is at increased risk of a stroke or vision loss. Because his head is heavy, it is difficult for Ralph to sit up. Ralph also has frequent seizures and flu-like symptoms because of his condition. Ralph is his mom's first child. She sells goods from her home, and her husband takes care of Ralph full-time. They need help raising $1,260 so that Ralph can receive surgery to drain the excess fluid from his skull and reduce his risk of paralysis or nerve damage. Let's work together to help improve Ralph's health!

Meet Rosemary, a beautiful 30-year-old from Kenya. She worked at a hotel for three years until she developed two deep wounds on her legs. They are extremely painful and are not healing properly. Rosemary lives with her grandparents and is a single mother of two young children. She has sought medical help without success, and the wounds are becoming deeper and more painful the longer they go untreated. Getting proper healthcare would allow her to go back to work and care for her two young children. For $1,200, Rosemary will receive skin grafts on her legs so her wounds can finally heal. Let's stop this chronic injury in its tracks and allow Rosemary to live a healthy life!