Gedeon is a student from Haiti. He lives in Port-au-Prince with his mother and two older sisters. He is in high school and would like to study to become a doctor. Gedeon has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the four valves of his heart was severely damaged as a result of an infection suffered in childhood; as a result, his heart cannot adequately pump blood through his body. Gedeon will fly to the United States to receive treatment. On September 16th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will replace his damaged valve with an artificial implant. Another organization, Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital, is contributing $40,000 to pay for surgery. Gedeon'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 Gedeon's family overseas. Gedeon said, "I am excited to be able to visit a new country and to get my heart back to normal."

Yona is a 3-year-old boy with severe burns on his right hand. When Yona’s hand was burned, the surrounding skin began to pull together, resulting in a burn scar contracture. It needs to be treated as soon as possible, or Yona could lose much of his mobility in his hand. Luckily, surgeons at CURE can operate to release Yona’s fingers. Yona is a sweet little boy who his doctors describe as "adorable." Yona has his whole life ahead of him. We hope he gets the treatment he needs to live it fully.

Liness is a 12-year-old girl with “knock knees.” If left untreated, Liness will never be able to walk normally or live an active life. Fortunately, doctors at CURE’s hospital in Zambia can perform surgery to correct Liness’ condition. They’re confident that with treatment, Liness will be able to live a normal, healthy life. Liness’ parents passed away when she was 3-years-old. She was taken in by her aunt, and she started complaining of pain in her knees soon after. A local clinic gave her only painkillers. Slowly, her knees started growing inward, signaling a more serious condition. Liness’ aunt didn’t know how to deal with her neice’s health problems, and Liness eventually became so ashamed of her condition that she quit school. After dealing with this issue for so long, Liness is happy to hear that she can be cured. We look forward to funding her treatment and letting her get back to living life.

Samson is a 6-year-old boy who fell out of a mango tree and fractured his elbow. Samson’s parents rushed him to a local clinic, but they were told there was nothing they could do. Since then, Samson has been living with the pain of the fracture, with only hot compresses to help. Luckily, doctors at CURE’s hospital in Zambia can perform surgery to fix the fracture. Samson comes from a loving and supportive family. Samson's father was determined to get his son the treatment he needed, and insisted they come to CURE to find out if they could get it there. We hope we can raise the money Samson needs to get surgery so he can return to life as usual.