Titus is a shy 12-year-old boy and the oldest of three siblings. His mother is a single mother who works in the laundry business. His mother's work has unfortunately been affected by the pandemic, so recently Titus has been staying with his aunt as she is able to provide the family with some extra support. On Wednesday, April 14th, Titus sustained a severe injury to his left fingers after a machete fell while he was fetching firewood from the forest with his friends. His aunt brought him to the hospital where he received an X-ray, which revealed a fracture. A cast was placed to stabilize the fracture and realign the normal position of the bone as he waits for surgery. Titus requires help so that he can undergo surgery. His family is asking anyone reading his son’s story to support her raise the amount needed for his treatment. Titus's aunt said, “Titus is in a lot of pain, I hope he gets treated and feels better and is well again.”

Alex is a 20-year-old high school student from Haiti. He lives with his parents and younger brother in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. When he's healthy, he enjoys dancing and playing drums in church. Before his most recent illness, he was in his final year of high school. Alex has a cardiac condition called mitral regurgitation. When Alex was a child, he became infected with rheumatic fever which severely damaged one of his heart valves so that it could no longer pump blood through his body. Four years ago, surgeons in the Cayman Islands repaired Alex's existing heart valve in order to avoid replacing it with an artificial valve. This repaired valve worked well for three years, but then began to have difficulty pumping blood as well. Doctors now need to implant an artificial valve to replace the valve that is no longer working well. Alex will fly to the Cayman Islands to receive treatment. On April 7th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will remove Alex's damaged valve and implant a mechanical replacement valve. Another organization, Have a Heart Cayman Islands, is contributing $20,000 to pay for surgery. Alex'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 Alex's family overseas. Alex shared, "I am looking forward to this surgery so that I can get back to attending school and going to church."

Ye is a 48-year-old man from Thailand. Ye lives with his wife and daughter on the Thai-Burma border. He used to work as a carpenter, but had to stop working two years ago when his health deteriorated. Ye's wife is a homemaker, and his daughter works as a vendor selling mobile phones. His family income is just enough to cover their daily needs. Currently, Ye experiences back pain and also a strong discomfort when using the bathroom. He sometimes has a slight fever if his pain is more severe. To remedy this, Ye underwent laser treatment for kidney stones, which helped relieve some of his pain, but the doctors have determined that his case is severe and surgery has now been advised. If left untreated, Ye's symptoms will continue to worsen and put him at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment with our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Ye is scheduled to undergo his cholecystectomy on February 22nd. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Ye's procedure and care. Once recovered, he will be able to be more active and hopefully be pain-free. Ye shared, "I have been experiencing this condition for many years and I hope that after surgery I will be freed from pain and I will be able to work again."

Vumilia is a 2-year-old girl from Tanzania. She has a beautiful smile and is very charming. Vumilia is the third born in a family of four children. Her parents come from the northern part of Tanzania known as Serengeti, which is close to the Serengeti National Park. Most of the people living in this region depend on small-scale farming for a living. Vumilia's parents grow mostly maize, sorghum, and vegetables, selling part of their harvest to make a humble income to support the family. Vumilia was diagnosed with bilateral genu valgus, or bowleggedness. Her legs bow inward so that her knees touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Vumilia has a difficult time walking and often feels pain after walking for a while. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Vumilia. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 22nd. Treatment will hopefully restore Vumilia's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Vumilia’s mother shared, “My daughter is struggling so much that she can no longer play well with her siblings and is forced to sit by herself most times which saddens me as her mother. Please help correct her legs."

Yee is a 65-year-old grandmother from Thailand. She lives with her daughter, son-in-law, and five grandchildren. Yee is a homemaker and takes care of her youngest grandchildren. Her daughter and her eldest grandson are agricultural day labourers, and her son-in-law works as a carpenter. Yee has abdominal pain that becomes more severe after she eats. She is now longer able to do any household chores due to her condition. Doctors have advised Yee to undergo a cholecystectomy, a procedure where her gallbladder is surgically removed. If left untreated, Yee's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Yee is scheduled to undergo her cholecystectomy on December 28th. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Yee's procedure and care. Yee shared, "I am scared to have surgery but I will have to be strong and I hope that my pain will be gone after I receive surgery."

Stanley is a manual labourer from Kenya. A father of 3 children, all between 11 to 22 years old, his children are in school and are dependent on him for support. Depending on the availability of work, he and his wife do daily manual jobs. As a result, their income is not stable, and they also do not have medical coverage. They live in a 2-room house in their ancestral home in Ndeiya. Last month, Stanley was working to offload and reload hay. He and some other workers had gone to deliver the grass to a client in a village a few kilometres from their town of Limuru. Stanley was trying to direct the lorry through a corner. Once the driver had finished driving through the corner, Stanley tried to jump back into the vehicle while it sped off. He missed a step and flipped, causing serious wounds on his thigh and a fracture on the left fibula head and left femoral condul. He also has an unstable knee. Following this accident, Stanley has undergone multiple debridement surgeries to treat the wound. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Stanley receive treatment. On November 18th, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to finally help him heal and prevent infection. Now, Stanley needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Stanley shared, “My bills have really gone up and I am not able to settle them. I still need this surgery recommended by the doctors so that I can heal properly and avoid infections.”

Luza is a toddler from Haiti. She lives with her parents and siblings on a small farm in the mountains of central Haiti. Luza 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. Luza also has Down syndrome. Luza will fly to Canada to receive treatment. On May 30, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will use a patch to close the hole in her heart, and will remove the muscular blockage in one of her valves. Another organization, The Herbie Fund, is contributing $15,000 to pay for surgery. Luza'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 Luza's family overseas. Her father says, "We are so happy that Luza finally has this chance to have surgery!"

Mediony is a student from Haiti. He lives with his parents, grandparents, and brothers and sisters in the mountains of southern Haiti. He has not yet been attending school because of his illness, and instead helps his mother around the house. Mediony 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. Mediony will fly to the United States to receive treatment. On May 3, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will use a patch to close the hole in his heart, and will remove the muscular blockage in his valve. Another organization, HeartGift Foundation, is contributing $18,000 to pay for surgery. Mediony'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 Mediony's family overseas. His mother says, "I am praying that my son will become normal and healthy after his surgery!"

Ganizani is a 70-year old farmer from Malawi. He is a husband and father to six. He has 11 grandchildren. Ganizani likes to fish in his free time. Since February 2018, Ganizani 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 Ganizani's surgery. On February 12, 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. He says, "Thank you to Watsi for this support."

Latt is a 25-year-old man from Thailand. He moved to Thailand with his parents and younger brother from Bago, Burma 23 years ago. Currently, Latt’s parents and his younger brother live in Chonburi, Bangkok. Nine months ago, Latt married his wife Ni Ni and moved with her to another area of Bangkok. Together with his wife, he works in a factory that prepares noodles, fried rice, and other meals for lunch boxes. Latt 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, Latt experiences fatigue and chest pain. He unable to sleep well at night because of the chest pains. He is worried about his symptoms as he is no longer able to work and is unable to earn money for his family. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement for Latt. The treatment is scheduled to take place on December 2 and, once completed, will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. Latt says, “I really want to have surgery to recover so that I can work again. Now, I can’t sleep well because I think too much about my family and my symptoms.”

Dieufnide is a student from Haiti. She lives in Port-au-Prince with her sister, where she is obtaining a business degree at a university. Dieufnide has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral and aortic regurgitation. Two of the valves of her heart are damaged as a result of an infection she suffered a number of years ago. As a result, her heart cannot adequately circulate blood through her body, and she is in heart failure. Dieufnide will fly to United States to receive treatment. On November 21, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will replace her two damaged valves with artificial valves.. Another organization, the Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, is contributing $75,000 to pay for surgery. Dieufnide'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 Dieufnide's family overseas. She says, "I am excited about surgery so that I can focus on my studies without worrying about my health."

Sheila is a baby from Kenya. She lives with her mother, sibling, and great grandmother in Siaya, a region of Western Kenya. Sheila has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Sheila has been experiencing an increasing head circumference and difficulty supporting her head. Without treatment, Sheila will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $685 to cover the cost of surgery for Sheila that will treat her hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on August 6 and will drain the excess fluid from Sheila's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Sheila will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. “I really look forward to see my daughter get healthy just like her brother,” says Sheila’s mother.