Rusen, a 19-month-old baby boy from Kenya, is the last-born in a family of five children. At the age of three months his head began increasing in size, and at six months his mother noticed that, unlike other children, Rusen could not do things such as sit down or hold his head up. Rusen was diagnosed with hydrocephalus - a condition involving the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid within the brain cavities - which was delaying his development. Rusen's head has been progressively increasing in size and he seems very irritable. A shunt insertion is required to treat Rusen's condition, so his parents were advised to seek specialized treatment. Unfortunately, due to a lack of finances, his parents opted not to seek out further treatment. Rusen’s parents are subsistence farmers and supplement their farming income with any casual work that they can get. The family lives in a single-room house and Rusen’s siblings are all in school and doing well. However, the family does not have any extra funds to spend on the medical attention that Rusen needs. Fortunately, the Bethany Kids mobile clinic outreach team spotted the family and urged them to come for treatment, which they did. But Rusen’s parents were only able to raise money for the bus ticket to get them to Bethany Kids, and therefore cannot raise the money required for the actual surgical care. With $615, Rusen's shunt insertion will be possible. During the operation, the shunt will be inserted into Rusen's head in order to divert excess fluid into other areas of his body. In doing so, Rusen's head will return to a normal size and he will no longer be at risk for the serious health complications, such as brain damage, associated with hydrocephalus. “We had given up all hope until we met with a team from Bethany Kids. We are more than happy to know that there are hopes for Rusen’s treatment,” shares Rusen’s mother.

Maria, a 42-year-old woman from Guatemala, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She started to feel a mass in her breast a few months ago, right around when she started to lose a significant amount of weight. She has been feeling weak lately, making her both physically and emotionally fatigued. She says that he hardest part for her has been the pain in her chest and back, which has been making it hard for her to sleep at night. Maria and her husband live with their two kids, Edgar and Juan in a remote indigenous Mayan community in the mountains of Guatemala. Her husband works as a day laborer, harvesting crops only when they is work available--leaving her and her family without a consistent income, living on at most on only a couple dollars per day. Maria stays at home and takes care of her two elementary-school aged children, cooks, and cleans--but lately she has not been able to get out of bed, leaving her family worried and sad. Maria has been feeling depressed about the severity of her condition, but now that she has a treatment plan, she is thrilled and has regained her desire to live. She is excited to receive chemotherapy, interpretation, and transportation. She has been working with our staff to learn as much as she can about her condition, and is looking forward to improving and being able to continue to be there for her family.

Augustino is a cute, nine-year-old boy from Tanzania, born on November 1, 2006. Augustino is the first born in a family of four children. He was born without any problems, but when he turned five-years-old, his legs slowly started to bow inwards causing him to knock his knees when walking. He now complains of feeling pain on the knees especially when climbing up a hill. He can’t run as fast as he used to. Augustino enjoys playing with cars and lego blocks. His mother does a bit of farm work and his father is a self-employed carpenter. What they both earn is not enough to cover their day to day expenses as well as the cost of surgery which Augustino needs. For $940, Augustino will have surgery to treat his knocked knees, allowing him to walk properly. "I hope my son’s legs can be straightened to allow him to walk properly so that he can go to school," his father shared, "and later on get a good career and ability to live an independent life."

Snow is a ten-year-old Burmese girl who lives in a refugee camp with her parents and older sisters. For the past eight years they have lived in the camp. Snow's family moved to the camp as they didn’t own their own home or land, and they were living with Snow’s grandmother and other members of the extended family. This situation influenced their decision to migrate to the refugee camp in Thailand. Snow and her family would like to relocate to a third country but they are uncertain whether the opportunity will present. In the camp, Snow’s mother does laundry for others for a small income. Previously her father worked as a carpenter but is unable to work now because of hemorrhoids. Their monthly income is insufficient for daily expenses, savings or health care expenses. Living in the camp, they receive food rations which offset the burden. At times the family has to borrow small amounts of money, which they repay when they can. Snow and her two sisters attend school. Symptoms first appeared with Snow when she was seven-years-old. She had severe pain in her abdomen when she was just sitting, and she was uncomfortable walking. After an examination at the camp's medical clinic, she was diagnosed with rectal polyps. On January 28th, the surgeon excised a rectal polyp. Snow’s mother didn’t receive information from the hospital regarding Snow’s diagnosis or treatment due to the language barrier. Snow was symptom-free for eight months but she had to return to the clinic on several occasions with the same symptoms. She was finally given a diagnosis of juvenile polyposis - marked by frequent recurrence of polyps in the colon and rectum with third degree internal hemorrhoids. $1500 will cover the cost of Snow's surgery to remove the additional polyps she now has. Although she is still going to school, Snow is unable to engage in active play and her appetite and sleep patterns have been disturbed. She likes to play with her dog and she enjoys singing and listening to music. "I would like to be a singer when I am older," Snow said. Let's help make it possible!

Beatriz is four months old, and is the only child to her two young parents in Guatemala. She lives with her parents and her maternal grandparents in a house made of wood with a tin roof. Her mother works taking care of Beatriz, and her father searches for wood in the nearby forest, which he then chops up to sell to others in the market. Although both of them work hard to give Beatriz the best they can, they do not make enough money to buy formula--they typically make only $2-$3 per day, just enough to buy basic food and water. Beatriz has fallen into acute malnutrition due to her mother's lack of breast milk. Her mother has been trying to improve her production by taking herbs and other supplements, but they have not given her enough milk to help Beatriz grow. Her mother has tried to help her daughter to stop crying by giving her sugar water to calm her down. Being fed sugar water instead of formula has weakened her immune system, making her get sick often, and putting her at risk of starvation and seizures due to the lack of calories and electrolytes. Although Beatriz is dangerously sick, treatment is simple. By supplying Beatrix with formula and the mother with health education, she will finally receive the calories she needs to grow and thrive. One-on-one education with her mother will prepare Beatriz for when she needs to start eating solid food, as well as help her mother watch for further signs of malnutrition and other illness. Beatriz’s immune system will strengthen and she will grow up to be a healthy energetic baby, and her risk of seizure, starvation and death will be greatly reduced. Her mother says, "I want my daughter to grow. She is small now, but I know she wants to grow."

"For quite some time, Landia used to feel a little pain in her eye, most of the time itching until it became larger," our medical partner, Project Medishare, tells us about the 11-year-old girl from Haiti. With the onset of pain, Landia's parents immediately took her to the hospital where a lab test was performed. It was not until a group of doctors from the U.S. arrived, though, that Landia's family was informed that she has a medulloepithelioma tumor of the eye. Medulloepitheliomas of the eye typically occur within the first decade of one's life. For Landia, she was able to receive surgery to remove the tumor and her eye, and went through six cycles of chemotherapy. "Now she needs radiotherapy to eradicate the cancer for a complete cure," Project Medishare tells us. $1,500 will cover the cost of transportation, international travel preparation, and the radiation therapy for Landia. Danita's Children has donated $2,500 to help cover additional treatment costs. As the costs and logistical issues for her family became greater, Landia was sent to live at the local orphanage. After receiving radiation therapy, she will be able to return home to live with her family. Landia is expected to have a complete cure, and will be able to go back to school. "She will have to learn how to read and study with one eye, but this is doable for a young girl," Project Medishare tells us.

Princess is a two-month-old girl who lives with her parents in Kenya. Her father is a carpenter and her mother stays home to care for her. Princess was born with spina bifida, a congenital condition caused by an incomplete vertebrae closing around the spinal cord. This causes areas of the spinal cord to bulge outwards, forming a mass. The mass causes Princess to be in a lot of pain, and has taken an emotional toll on her parents. “Princess's agonizing cries, whenever the mass is touched, crushes their soul. They do their best to comfort and sooth her, but are always left feeling helpless,” says her doctor at African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Without treatment, Princess is at risk for developing complications, such as paralysis or scoliosis, an abnormal spinal curvature. Fortunately, AMHF can help Princess and her family. Spina bifida closure surgery will cost a total of $805 and “will help prevent risk of infections, development of a tethered spinal cord and paralysis of Princess's legs.” “Please help our firstborn daughter make it,” adds Princess’ mother.

Three-year-old Neymarah lives in Haiti with her mother, who works as a tailor, and her grandmother. She likes to help her mother prepare the fabric for the school uniforms that she makes. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), tells us, “Neymarah was born with a condition called complete atrioventricular canal defect, in which blood mixes between all four chambers of the heart without fully obtaining oxygen. This leaves her weak and out of breath and would eventually be fatal.” Neymarah needs surgery to create two functioning valves between the upper and lower chambers on both sides of the heart and to place patches over the existing defects (holes). “Following surgery,” says HCA, “Neymarah should have normal circulation restored to her heart. She should not need further surgery in the future.” For $1500, HCA will provide the overseas preparation and transportation required for Neymarah’s surgery. MECENAT is donating $5000 to cover the remaining treatment costs. Neymarah is excited to start preschool after surgery. Her mother shares, "I want Neymarah to be able to walk to and from school like the other children."