Immaculate is fast asleep on her mother’s lap. She was woken quite early to come to the hospital. A little bump, almost invisible, sits on her fontanel. Following results from CT scan, little Immaculate has been diagnosed with a dermoid cyst, a sac-like growth, that is present at birth and a craniotomy surgery is recommended. According to the doctor, the cyst sits on a very sensitive vein and if it ruptures Immaculate risks death. Surgery to close it will minimize such risks especially as she grows older, is more active, and playing with children who may accidentally hit the bump and cause the rupture. Immaculate lives with her parents and siblings in a one-room house in Central Kenya. The surgery is a cost that Immaculate’s parents cannot bear. They both are employed casually in a neighbor’s farm with an irregular daily wage of around Kes200 each. Immaculate’s elder brother is a student in class one and doing fine. With a very menial income, they are not able to raise the funds needed. “I will be glad if we get help,” says Immaculate’s mother.

Josphat is a 25-year-old father from Kenya. He operates a motorcycle taxi business, and his wife works at home. The family lives in a two-room house in their ancestral land. This is a relatively dry region of the country, where agriculture is unreliable. On Christmas of 2016, Josphat fell from from his motorcycle. He was not wearing a helmet, so he sustained head injuries. He was brought to our medical partner's hospital, AIC Kijabe Hospital, where he received first aid and underwent a CT scan. Since then, Josphat has experienced a headache, and his eyes have swollen. He has spent two weeks in the hospital, which has prevented him from working and providing for his family. Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo a craniotomy and frontal fracture repair on January 6. These procedures will repair the injuries in his skull. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,495 to fund this treatment. “I want to be well," says Josphat, "and to continue to provide for my family who need me."

Maria is a less than 1-year-old baby with hydrocephalus or “water on the brain,” one of the most common abnormalities affecting children around the world. Hydrocephalus develops when the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid is blocked, causing a build up of excessive fluid in the ventricles of the brain. If left untreated, Maria’s doctors say the condition will lead to significant brain damage, developmental delays, blindness, and ultimately a premature death. Fortunately, there’s a good chance that with surgery, Maria will life a full, normal life. Surgeons at CURE say this procedure will likely be “life-saving.” Maria comes from a caring family. Her parents earn a modest living through subsistence farming. Maria’s mother noticed her daughter’s head abnormally increasing in size and immediately sought medical attention at the district hospital. She hoped the doctors there would provide a quick solution and Maria’s health would go back to normal. Instead, they told her that Maria had a condition that would require surgery and that she needed to get to the CURE Hospital as soon as possible. Since arriving at CURE, Maria’s mother feels encouraged by the other kids she has seen doing well after surgery, and she is hopeful that Maria will make a full recovery.