Krouss is a four-year-old boy from Haiti who was born with a cardiac condition called valvar pulmonic stenosis. One of the valves of his heart is too small to allow blood to adequately pass through. As a result, oxygen does not reach his body in sufficient quantities, leaving him sickly and weak. Krouss needs surgery to ensure he can grow up healthy, and without further complications from his heart condition. Surgeons will insert a balloon inside the valve and inflate it to stretch the valve open. Depending on the result, he may or may not then need an open-heart procedure. The treatment will cost $6,500, however Health City Cayman Islands has subsidized part of the treatment. Through Watsi, $1,500 will cover the cost of overseas preparation and transportation for Krouss and one parent as the surgery will be performed in the Cayman Islands. Krouss lives with his mother and father, and he is their first child. His father is a security guard and his mother sells goods in the local market. He is a very intelligent boy and has already learned to read, and is looking forward to starting school next year. "I am most excited about getting to go on a plane ride," Krouss shared excitedly.

Eduardo, a baby boy from Guatemala, is only a month old, but is already having developmental trouble and has lost significant weight since he was born. At birth, his mother was unable to produce enough milk for him grow at a normal rate. More recently she has been able to breastfeed for 30-45 minutes at time, but Eduardo, unsatisfied, still cries afterward. His mother is doing everything she can to force production of breast milk, but Eduardo still hasn’t been receiving as much as he should. His mother cannot afford formula, so in some instances when she cannot provide milk, she gives her son water to stop him from crying. Eduardo is the youngest child of a single mother: he has a 4-year-old sister and a 2-year-old brother. They all live together with one of their mother’s friends. Eduardo’s mother has limited access to education; she stopped after her first year in secondary school because her family could not afford it. Now to earn money, she washes clothes for her neighbors. Eduardo is at risk of dehydration and starvation. “His mother is ashamed and afraid that she cannot produce sufficient breast milk to feed her child,” shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). With $1,016, medical intervention will be possible for Eduardo. His mother will be given formula to provide her son with the calories he needs to grow. She will also receive one-on-one health education to prepare her the time when Eduardo will begin eating solid foods. The doctors are certain that the simple treatment will strengthen Eduardo’s immune system and allow him to become a healthy, energetic baby. “I just want him to grow,” Eduardo’s mother shares.

Veronica, a quiet four-year-old girl, lives with her grandmother in Tanzania. Following a visit to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), Veronica was diagnosed with a ventral hernia. “The hernia is getting bigger with time preventing Veronica’s ability to walk,” shares AMHF. “Veronica is able to sit, crawl and stand with support, but lately crawling has become a problem because the hernia is so big that when Veronica tries to crawl she ends up bruising herself.” A ventral hernia causes intestinal tissue to push through a weakened section of the abdominal cavity, causing a palpable bulge to form. Without medical intervention, Veronica is at risk of developing intestinal obstruction, a condition that blocks part of the intestine and prevents food and fluids from normally channeling through the digestive tract. Veronica is dependent on her grandmother’s income earned as a small scale farmer. “[Her grandmother] plants and sells some green bananas, maize and beans,” AMHF explains. “Even with extra support that she gets from her children, the little that Veronica’s grandmother earns from farming is not enough to cover the cost of the operation which Veronica badly needs.” $610 will fund Veronica’s hernia repair operation. This procedure will place the affected tissue back into its proper position. After surgery, Veronica will spend one week at Plaster House--a specialized surgical rehabilitation program--to allow doctors to closely monitor her progress during the most crucial part of her recovery. With the proposed treatment, Veronica will benefit from overall improved quality of life. “Veronica will be out of the risk of developing intestinal obstruction and with time she will be able to walk,” AMHF states. Veronica’s grandmother says, “I just hope that my grandchild will get better and have the ability to walk and perform different activities.”