Marlene is a mother of two from Haiti. She sells kitchen supplies at a local market stall, and sings in her church choir. Marlene has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the four valves in her heart cannot open and close properly due to an infection she suffered several years ago. This makes her heart unable to circulate blood properly, leaving her weak and short of breath. Marlene will fly to Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On April 27, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will either repair or replace her damaged valve. Another organization, Fundacion Heart Care Dominicana, is contributing $10,000 to pay for surgery. Marlene'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 Marlene's family overseas. She says, "I am so glad that my prayers for surgery are about to be answered."

Mary is a farmer from Kenya. She is married and a mother of seven children. In 1998, Mary began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling, difficulty swallowing, and breathing. She was diagnosed with a multinodular goiter. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mary receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 28 at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $641, and she and her family need help raising money.

Nekikolo is a student from Tanzania. He is is the youngest in a family of eight children. When he was three months old, Nekikolo developed a swelling on his left eyebrow. As he kept growing, the swelling kept increasing in size. Nekikolo traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 4, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Nekikolo needs help to raise $689 to fund this procedure. Nekikolo’s mother says, “Thank you very much for giving my son a chance to have treatment of his mass.”

Folani is a father to 7 and grandfather to 4 from Malawi. Folani is a farmer who enjoys chatting with his friends. Since 2016, Folani has been experiencing pain and urinary difficulty. These symptoms are caused by an enlarged prostate, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. He needs to undergo a prostate resection surgery, a procedure in which surgeons will remove part of the enlarged gland. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $733 to fund Folani's surgery. On January 29, he will undergo prostate surgery at Nkhoma Hospital, our medical partner's care center. The requested money pays for supplies, medications, and two weeks of hospital stay. Folani was very happy to hear he would have surgery and thankful he will be able to start working normally again. He says, "I am very thankful for this project."

Beth is a farmer from Kenya. She is a mother of one daughter. Beth has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been suggested to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $816 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Beth. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 8. After treatment, Beth will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Beth says, “My hope is to have the treatment done. I want to fight the condition and finish victorious."

Emmanuel is a baby from Tanzania. He is the youngest in a family of four children. His parents are small-scale farmers who farm maize, bean, potatoes and vegetables. Emmanuel has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Emmanuel traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on October 15. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $890 to fund Emmanuel's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily. His mother says, “We were made to believe there was nothing that could be done to our son. You have brought us hope. Please help us.”

Idi is a student from Tanzania. He is the youngest in a family of eight children. His best subjects are science and Swahili. He loves playing soccer with his friends. Idi has been diagnosed with acquired left genu valgus. Early last year, his parents noticed their son’s left leg was weakening and bending inwards. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $940 to fund corrective surgery for Idi. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 2. Treatment will hopefully restore Idi's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Idi’s sister says, “My parents are not able to afford the surgery cost and my brother's condition keeps worsening. Please help him."

Ma Kyi is a 74-year-old woman who lives with her daughter’s family in Sanpya Village, Ye Township, Mon State, Burma. Her daughter and son-in-law are agricultural day laborers who work in nearby factories and rubber plantations. In August 2018, Ma Kyi noticed that her right toe was swollen. She used traditional medicine, applying leaves onto her toe. A few days later, her toe became very painful. Consequently, Ma Kyi could not sleep at night and lost her appetite. Ma Kyi visited our medical partner's care center and was examined by the doctors. According to the doctors, the blood vessels in her feet are blocked, and the wound cannot heal due to the lack of blood supply. Thus, her doctors decided that the only solution is to amputate her right leg below her knee. Surgery is scheduled for September 4 and will cost $1,500. Ma Kyi says, “As a Buddhist, I want to go to monasteries when I am fully recovered.” Ma Kyi’s daughter adds, “I want my mother to get well as quickly as possible so I can go back home and care for my 11-year-old daughter."

Ashinuri is a baby from Tanzania. She is the youngest in a family of six. Ashinuri’s parents are both subsistence farmers. Ashinuri has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Ashinuri traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on August 24. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $890 to fund Ashinuri's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily when she grows up. Ashinuri’s mother says, “My husband and I have tried to get treatment for our daughter but it was not successful. Please help us.”

Arnold is a young student from Haiti. He lives with his mother and older sister in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. He has Down syndrome and goes to a school for children with special learning needs. He has many friends and enjoys helping his mother around the house. Arnold has a cardiac condition called partial atrioventricular canal defect. Holes exist between both the upper and lower chambers of his heart. Blood leaks through these holes before first passing through his lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him sick and short of breath. Arnold also has a condition called pulmonary hypertension, in which the blood pressures to his lungs are too high. For this reason, he needs a diagnostic catheterization to determine whether it is safe for him to have surgery. To determine if Arnold's condition is operable, he must undergo a diagnostic cardiac catheterization, a procedure that is not available in Haiti. During the procedure, a catheter probe will be inserted into his heart to perform the necessary measurements and tests. On August 22, he will travel to the Dominican Republic to receive the scan at our medical partner's care center, Clinica Corominas. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is asking for $1,500 to cover the costs of Arnold's travel expenses, catheterization procedure, and lab work. His mother says, "We are all praying that Arnold can have surgery so that he will be more healthy and have more energy."

Anne is a woman from Haiti. She lives in Port-au-Prince with her husband. She works as a clerk in a cell phone shop. Anne has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus, in which a hole between a major artery and vein near the heart remains open, instead of closing shortly after birth as is normally the case. Blood leaks through this hole, leaving her sickly and weak. Fortunately, Anne will undergo interventional heart catheterization on May 24. During the procedure, a device at the end of a catheter will be used to plug the hole so that it can no longer leak. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is asking for $1,500 to cover the costs of Anne's travel expenses, catheterization procedure, and lab work. She says, "I am so glad that God found a way forward for my heart to be fixed!"

Day is a four-year-old boy from Karen State, Burma. He lives with his mother, two brothers, and sister. He does not yet attend school, but his sister is in grade one. His older brothers both work as agricultural day laborers and get paid in rice on an annual basis. When Day was a year old, his mother noticed a small, swollen area on his left buttock. The area was about the size of a quarter, but did not cause Day any pain. Over the next three years, the swollen area, or cyst, grew significantly. The cyst had some redness and was soft. Day’s mother did not take him to any healthcare facilities for investigation or treatment because the mass was not actively bothering him and they do not have enough money to do so. However, Day's mother started to worry about Day's condition as the cyst gradually grew bigger. In May 2018, someone in Day’s village told his mother about Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), a free clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand. They finally came to MTC and were referred to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH), our medical partner's care center, for surgery. The doctor at MSH scheduled Day for surgery on May 30. Now, his family needs help funding this $1,500 cyst removal procedure. Day’s mother says, “I really want him to have treatment, but we have never had enough money.”