“I have not seen a smile on my daughter's face for months now. I just want to see her smile and be healthy again,” says Joan’s mother. Meet Joan, a beautiful two-year-old girl from Kenya. In early October, Joan began experiencing severe headaches and vomiting. Joan’s doctors at our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) determined Joan was experiencing a potentially life-threatening brain tumor that requires surgery. They explained, “If the surgery is not done, Joan is likely to lose her ability to walk and possibly her sight.” While her mother takes care of Joan and her siblings, her father does casual jobs to help support the family. Due to lack of resources her parents could not afford specialized care. For $1,205 we can ensure that Joan receives this surgery which will treat her headache and improve her mobility as well as sight. Let’s help ensure Joan survives this tumor and goes back to being her loving, happy self!

“We hope that our granddaughter can be helped so that she can help herself and others as well. Being able to walk properly will give her independence, as she continues to grow up,” says Neema’s grandmother. Neema is a five-year-old girl from Tanzania with unilateral club foot. Her mother is a single parent, and she lives with her grandparents, who are small-scale farmers and pay for the family’s basic needs. “Neema enjoys playing with other children and longs to go to school like her friends,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, tells us. Due to the deformity of her right foot, Neema is unable to walk or run properly. Her grandparents want to help their grandchild, but the cost of treatment is too high for them to afford. If left untreated, however, she will most likely develop early osteoarthritis of the foot. $1,160 will cover the surgery that will allow Neema to walk properly again.

Meet 12-year-old Dieulephete from Haiti. He's in the fifth grade and has many friends in the neighborhood he lives in with his mother, grandmother, and two brothers. "His favorite activities are to watch soccer matches on TV, and draw sketches of cars and buildings," the Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) tells us. "Dieulephete was born with a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus, in which a hole between the aorta and the pulmonary artery which normally closes naturally when a child is born, instead remains open," HCA writes. "Blood flows through this hole, preventing normal circulation through the body. As a result, Dieulephete is frequently short of breath and out of energy." Health City Cayman Islands has stepped up to help with Dieulephete's surgery, providing $5,000 to close the hole in his heart. But he still needs $1,500 for surgery prep and overseas transport. "Following closure of the hole, Dieulephete should be able to lead a normal life with no cardiac symptoms," HCA says. "We were told not long after Dieulephete was born that he had this problem, but we didn't know what we could do about it," says Dieulephete's mother. "We're very happy to have a chance to fix the hole in his heart!" All that's left to do is fund the remaining $1500 of Dieulephete's treatment so he can continue his life full of energy- which includes prep and overseas transport. Let's do this!