This smiley guy is Said. Said is an infant from Somalia whose parents hope he will “become a great leader in our country and change it for the better.” Said was born with an open bladder, which puts him at risk for infection and social isolation as he grows up. Said’s parents traveled across the Somali border into Ethiopia to seek treatment for him. Traveling through Somalia is not easy, and they needed donations from friends and family just to cover the transportation costs to get to our partner hospital. For $1,500, we can pay for Said's bladder exstrophy repair surgery and allow him to grow up healthy!

Tilahun is an 18-year-old boy who has suffered from rheumatic heart fever (an inflammatory disease that can lead to heart failure) and mitral stenosis (a disorder that prevents the heart's mitral valve from opening fully) since birth. These two severe heart conditions leave Tilahun bedridden and have prevented him from ever attending school. Despite his heart problems, Tilahun is remarkably upbeat. He enjoys laughing with friends and listening to the Ethiopian pop-icon, [Teddy Afro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxV-n9iSkEs). Because of the severity of his condition, Tilahun needs to fly to India for life-saving heart surgery. Dr. Hodes believes that after receiving treatment, Tilahun will finally be able to attend school. Tilahun wants to be an English teacher when he grows up, and his parents, along with his six brothers and sisters, hope we can raise the money needed to save his life. Let's make it happen!