Manuela is a 16-year-old girl. She is in the tenth grade and would like to be a doctor or a scientist when she grows up. Manuela lives in the Dominican Republic with her mother, father, and three younger brothers. Manuela has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect. This means a hole exists between the two upper chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through the holes without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak. Although Manuela is not Haitian, our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is collaborating with their partners in the Dominican Republic to offer treatment to Dominican children. She will undergo cardiac surgery at our medical partner's care center. First, Manuela will undergo a full cardiac assessment on February 15. This assessment will include physical exams, labs, and an overnight stay at the hospital. Haiti Cardiac Alliance is requesting $1,500 to fund these procedures. Funding for Manuela also covers the cost of medications and social support for her and her family. Gift of Life International is contributing $7,000 to cover additional costs associated with Manuela's surgical care. Manuela says, "I am excited to have surgery so I can stop worrying about my heart problem from now on."

Saro is a 25-year-old factory worker from Cambodia. She has three brothers and five sisters. She likes to listen to the radio, watch news, and do housework in her free time. When Saro was five years old, she developed an infection in her left ear. The infection perforated the tympanic membrane on her left side. Because of her ear condition, she experiences hearing loss, ear discharge, and tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ear). Saro has difficulty hearing at work, and she now worries that her ear condition will worsen. Saro learned about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), from her family member. She traveled for two hours by motorcycle with her sister to reach CSC for treatment. On March 27, Saro will undergo a myringoplasty surgery on her left ear to repair the perforated tympanic membrane. After recovery, Saro's hearing will improve. CSC is requesting $423 to fund this procedure.

Meet Abelino, a seven-year-old boy who lives with his family in rural Guatemala. When Abelino was one year old, he got very sick and started having seizures. Abelino has developmental delays, and he is unable to walk on his own. His mother straps him to her back and carries him around all day. While she loves having her son nearby, it is becoming more difficult for her to carry him. Our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, is requesting $1,034 to purchase a wheelchair for Abelino. His parents are also asking for help so that they can "keep carrying Abelino forward." Abelino will receive the wheelchair on February 26. With a wheelchair, Abelino will be able to travel to his doctor's appointments more easily. He will also have the chance to fully participate in his family and community life.

Junior is a nine-year-old boy who lives near Port-au-Prince with his parents and two younger brothers. He is currently in the third grade and would like to become an engineer when he grows up. Junior was born with an atrial septal defect, which means he has a hole between the two upper chambers of his heart. Because of this, blood leaks through the hole without first passing through his lungs and taking up oxygen to deliver to his organs. This leaves him feeling sickly and weak. He needs to undergo surgery to repair the hole. First, Junior will undergo a full cardiac assessment on January 19. This assessment will include physical exams, labs, and an overnight stay at the hospital. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to fund these procedures. Funding for Junior also covers the cost of medications and social support for him and his family. Gift of Life International is contributing $3,500 to cover additional costs associated with Junior's surgical care. His father says, "We are excited for this surgery because it is very hard for Junior to walk up the hill to our house. We hope he will be able to have more energy once his heart is fixed!"

Sixteen-month-old Susana is the eighth child in her family. She lives near Lake Atitlán in rural Guatemala, and she likes to play with dolls and with her older brothers. Susana’s father is a day laborer, and both her parents spend evenings collecting firewood in the mountains near their home. Susana’s parents wish for their daughter to grow up to be a teacher one day. Susana has been diagnosed with malnutrition. In the short term, malnutrition means Susana has little energy to grow and that her immune system is weak, leaving her vulnerable to illnesses that can further compromise her growth. She may also face malnutrition’s long-term consequences, such as increased risk of chronic diseases, low IQ, and higher likelihood of dropping out of school. Malnutrition is very treatable. On February 2, our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, will begin Susana's treatment of growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age. Her immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. Community health workers will teach her mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet with limited resources. "More than anything right now," says Susana's mother, "we want to fight for our daughter's health so that she can recover." Susana's treatment will cost $437.

Meet Thet, a 23-year-old man from Burma who has two sisters and one brother. His youngest sister studies in the sixth grade, while the rest of his siblings work to support the family. “If Thet has free time, he loves to help cook, but his favorite hobby is playing soccer," his parents say. About six years ago, Thet moved to Malaysia to look for a job. He found work as a waiter at a restaurant, but soon began experiencing mild symptoms, such as dry skin. The restaurant owner brought Thet to a hospital, where he was given medication. While medication provided temporary relief, his condition soon took a turn for the worse. One morning, Thet woke up unable to see anything. He went to the hospital again for diagnostic testing, but the doctor told him they could not find any problems. Thet decided to return to Burma. Since returning to Burma, Thet's condition has steadily worsened. His vision has become more blurred, and he often has headaches. He has also developed severe muscle pains. He cannot sit or lay down for long periods of time. After learning about our medical partner, Thet and his parents traveled four hours to seek proper treatment. Thet's doctors believe he may have a brain tumor. A CT scan will allow them to develop an effective treatment plan. $414 will cover the cost of this scan, scheduled for December 14. Thet says that if his condition improves, he wants to go back to work in Malaysia so he can help support his family.

Sarin is a 49-year-old farmer who has three sons and one daughter. In his free time, he likes to go to his farm and fish in the river. One year ago, Sarin developed a cholesteatoma, an abnormal skin growth, in his left ear. It causes ear discharge, hearing loss, pain, and ringing in his ear. Sarin feels uncomfortable and has difficulty communicating with others. When Sarin learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for five hours seeking treatment. On November 23, CSC surgeons performed a mastoidectomy procedure in his left ear to remove the cholesteatoma. After recovery, his hearing will improve. Now, he needs help to fund this $842 procedure. "I hope to have no more pain, good hearing, and easy communication with other people," says Sarin.

Two-year-old Kyle is a small boy for his age and lives with his family in a remote part of the community. Their house is made of meager lightweight materials. One of Kyle's favorite things to do is to play with his neighbor. One out of every five children under the age of 5-years in International Care Ministries (ICM) communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. Kyle was enrolled in ICM's Home-Based Feeding program on October 19. Now, Kyle needs help to fund his $268 treatment. ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get the additional food to regain normal weight, and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child being malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM's professional staff educate the mother, guardian or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and organic vegetable gardening. "I hope he finishes his school someday," says Kyle's parents.

Susan is an 8-year-old girl from Uganda. She is the first-born child to Christine and Rodgers, who are subsistence farmers growing beans and corn. From time to time, they also pick tea from plantations as a source of income. At school, Susan was 5th out of 87 pupils in her class. When she's not at school, she likes to play and run around in the village. Susan sustained a closed fracture on her left arm when she fell off a mango tree. She had climbed the tree with other children in the community looking for mangoes. She also sustained some scratches on her face from the fall. For $133, Susan will receive treatment to heal her fractured arm. Her mother hopes that Susan will go back to school when she is healed and able to use her hand again. “I wish to thank all the donors for the support to my child. We were worried about the cost, may God bless you,” shares Susan's mother.

Selemani is a 65-year-old farmer from Malawi's Central Region. He lives with his wife and near their seven children and nine grandchildren. In his free time, Selemani likes spending time with his grandchildren. For the past five months, Selemani has been experiencing pain due to an enlarged prostate. The pain and discomfort has made it impossible to work. Although this condition is easily treated surgically, he has been unable to access quality care until now. For $726, Selemani can receive the prostate resection surgery he needs to get healthy. Selemani and his family are looking forward to his return home.

Chamman is a 29-year-old woman who lives at a pagoda in Cambodia. She spends her time cleaning and helping the monks around the pagoda. Chamman has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects the body’s muscles and movement. In March 2015, she took a fall and injured her right hip. Over the past year, her pain has been getting worse, and she is now walking with an abnormal gait. Chamman traveled an hour with her mother to reach Children’s Surgical Centre in Phnom Penh. Doctors there diagnosed her with osteonecrosis of the right hip. This means that part of her hip bone has not been receiving enough blood flow, and has begun to die. If left untreated, Chamman will continue to be in pain, and the decayed bone could eventually collapse. For $392 we can fund the hemiarthroplasty surgery that she needs. This procedure will replace the dying bone in her hip with a prothesis. After receiving her hemiarthroplasty, Chamman’s hip will be stronger and she will be able to walk easily and without pain. Let’s help get Chamman mobile again by funding her treatment.

Chanthoeun is a 28-year-old farmer, with two older sisters and one older brother. Chanthoeun spends his time playing football and helping his parents. He traveled 3 hours with his sister to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment. Chanthoeun began experiencing ear discharge and hearing loss in both ears when he was 8 years old. The tympanic membrane is perforated on both sides. Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors discovered a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal growth, on the left side. $809 will cover the cost of Chanthoeun's treatment. ENT surgeons will perform surgery, or a mastoidectomy, on his left ear first to remove the cholesteatoma. When he has healed, he can return to have his perforated eardrum repaired, or myringoplasty surgery, on the left side. After the procedures, his ear pain and discharge will stop. Over time, Chanthoeun's hearing can improve.