Ludmisha is four years old. She lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with her parents and older sister. Her father is a roofer, and her mother is a market seller. She goes to preschool and likes dressing up and going to church. Ludmisha was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to get oxygen, leaving her feeling weak. Ludmisha needs to undergo pediatric cardiac surgery at our medical partner's care center, St. Damien Hospital. Surgeons will operate to close the hole. First, Ludmisha will undergo a full cardiac assessment on January 17. This assessment will include physical exams, labs, and an overnight stay at the hospital. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to fund these procedures. Funding for Ludmisha also covers the cost of medications and social support for her and her family. Gift of Life International is contributing $3,500 to cover additional costs associated with Ludmisha's surgical care. "We have been very worried about our daughter's heart problem," says Ludmisha's mother, "and we are all praying that everything will go well this week!"

Medjie lives in a suburb of Port-au-Prince in Haiti with her mother and grandmother. She is her mother's first child. Medjie was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. This means that there is a hole between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to get oxygen. This leaves her feeling sickly and weak. Medjie needs to undergo pediatric cardiac surgery at our medical partner's care centre, St. Damien Hospital. First, Medjie will undergo a full cardiac assessment on January 16. This assessment will include physical exams, labs, and an overnight stay at the hospital. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to fund these procedures. Funding for Medjie also covers the cost of medications and social support for her and her family. Gift of Life International is contributing $3,500 to cover additional costs associated with Medjie's surgical care. Medjie's mother sells homemade food at the local markets, and she cannot afford her daughter's treatment. She is very thankful to all the people who have helped Medjie get this surgery. "I would like to thank God for putting so many people in my family's path to help my daughter have surgery," she says.

Meet Nathan. Nathan is 66-years-old and lives in Rwerere which is about 53Km from Bwindi Community Hospital. Nathan is a retired church minister and lives with two of his twelve children. The rest have their own families. Nathan has had a hernia for two years. When the hernia started, he tried to go to the local clinics to get medicine to relieve the pain, but the medicine did not work. The hernia has become painful and keeps him from working full time as a farmer to support his family. He has not been able to afford surgery because he has been unable to work for the last seven months. Nathan enjoys listening to his grandchildren share about what they have learned at school and he likes to live at peace with his neighbors. On Sunday, he like to worship at the local church. For $208, Nathan will undergo hernia repair surgery. He was able to co-pay $4 of his surgical cost. When he gets well, he is looking forward to return to growing food to support his family. He thanks all the people donating to his hospital care.

“It is our hope that our son will be able to walk properly. He will then be able to herd cattle and feel the same as other children,” says Lekokei’s mother. Meet Lekokei, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy from Tanzania. Lekokei has a unilateral club foot, a condition which causes him to walk on the side of his foot. This is not only painful and prevents him from walking normally, but “he will be at high risk of developing early osteoarthritis of the small bones if not treated," reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. Lekokei's parents are livestock keepers. “They earn enough to cover their basic needs but badly need financial assistance to help Lokekei get medical treatment,” relays our medical partner. For $1,160, we can fund an ALMC procedure for Lekokei. The treatment will enable him to talk normally for the rest of his life, as well as prevent early osteoarthritis in the future.