15-month-old Miloury was born with a cardiac defect called an aortopulmonary fistula, in which a hole exists between the two major blood vessels that connect to the heart. Blood leaks through this hole, depriving Miloury's body of the oxygen she needs and leaving her sickly and weak. Miloury lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with her mother, father, grandmother, and several other relatives. Her parents are both currently seeking work. She is a happy baby who likes to wear dresses and have her hair braided. For $1,500 (and with an additional $5,000 subsidy from Have a Heart Cayman Islands), Miloury will receive the heart surgery she needs. "I am excited to know that Miloury will be a normal child after she can have her surgery," her mother shared.

“About two and a half years ago, Turyaingana noticed two swellings in his inguinal region as he was lifting sacks of dried food in a store,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). 53-year-old Turyaingana runs a business in his home country of Uganda, and also works as a farmer to generate income to support his wife and seven children. “Income from farming is not stable because it depends on the season and good timing,” AMHF says. “Sometimes he puts in a lot of energy but gets very poor yield.” Due to his pain and swelling, Turyaingana’s work schedule has become even more irregular. AMHF diagnosed him with an inguinal hernia, and he needs surgery to fix the condition. “Turyaingana decided to stop working in a store and started digging,” AMHF continues. “He is currently unable to carry heavy stuff or climb a hill where his gardens are. He has never gone to a hospital but has been using herbs. After being on herbs for a long time and not experiencing any positive change on the swelling Turyaingana went to the hospital, but he couldn’t afford to pay for treatment.” For $220, we can fund Turyaingana’s hernia repair. Not only will he be able to return to work, but “the risk of intestinal obstruction, incarceration or/and strangulation will also be eliminated,” AMHF says. “Thank you for being thoughtful of the poor,” Turyaingana told AMHF.

"I am hoping that I will be able to have surgery, so that I can run and play soccer like my friends," Jean Wilson tells our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). Jean Wilson is a studious 16-year-old who was born with tetralogy of fallot, a heart condition that causes a hole to form between two chambers of the heart and a muscular blockage to form over one of the valves. As a result, Jean Wilson is chronically short of breath and his body is not able to absorb oxygen as easily as it could if his heart were healthy. "Because he has lived so long with this condition, there is a chance it may no longer be repairable, but the only way to determine this is by inserting a catheter into the chambers of his heart," HCA says. "Since this is not possible in Haiti, arrangements are being made to bring him to the Dominican Republic to perform this extremely important test in the hopes that he can have heart surgery later in the year." For $1500, Jean Wilson will be transported to the Dominican Republic for the catheterization procedure that will determine the operability of his congenital heart defect. If Jean Wilson is a good candidate for surgery, he will then undergo the operation so that he can regain his health and fulfill his dreams of becoming an engineer.