Darensky is a 10-year-old student from Haiti. He lives with his mother and grandparents in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. He is in the third grade and likes building things and making crafts. Darensky has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus and tracheal ring. Two holes exists between two major blood vessels near his heart; blood leaks through this hole without first passing through his lungs, leaving him weak and oxygen-deprived. The treatment that Darensky needs is not available in Haiti, so he will fly to United States to undergo surgery. Many years ago he had one hole closed so this is the second surgery he needs, and his family has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Fortunately, on March 10th, Darensky will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will close the remaining hole that leaks blood between his two main blood vessels at the same time. During the surgery, he will also have a muscular blockage removed from his trachea that affects his ability to breathe. Another organization, Akron Children's Hospital, is contributing $12,000 to help pay for surgery. Darensky's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Darensky's family overseas. HIs mother told us: "I am very happy to know that after this surgery my son will finally be able to run and play normally!"

Panha is a 22-year-old construction worker and the youngest of his three siblings. His parents are farmers in the Kampong Thom province, which is known for its bountiful rice and mango harvests. In his free time, Panha enjoys playing games on his phone, listening to music, and watching TV. In August, Panha was burned at work while dealing with high electric voltage. Both of his hands were severely damaged. His family took him to a local clinic for medical treatment and dressing; however, he still developed contractures in both of his hands. As a result, Panha's hands and joints are stiff, and the muscles have atrophied. He is in constant pain and unable to hold things, limiting his ability to perform daily tasks like eating, dressing, or riding his motorbike. Surgeons determined Panha needs to undergo a scar contracture release and receive a flap of healthy skin in order for his hands to fully heal. When Panha learned that our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), could help, he traveled there hoping to receive treatment. On April 4th, surgeons will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help him use his hands again and start the process to strengthen his muscles. CSC is requesting $477 to help fund this procedure, which is also subsidized by $100 that Panha was able to gather. Panha shared, "After surgery, I hope the wound will heal, and I can use my hands to work and support my family."

Bariki is six-year-old boy and the only child of her single mother. He's a charming, friendly, and social kid. Bariki is now old enough to start school because most of his age mates joined class one this year. Bariki couldn’t join the school because he was born with a disability of the legs making walking for him impossible. He was born with a right clubfoot and the left had a congenital deformity of the knee. Currently he has to pull himself around to be able to move from one place to another. Bariki’s mother depends on small-scale farming to be able to feed her child. She lives and farms on her parents’ land. Last year through our medical partner's outreach program they got to know Bariki and the need for him to have treatment to help him have a chance to walk. He went through treatment of manipulation and casting to correct his clubfoot, and this was successful. He has been to an orthopedic clinic trying to see whether his knee joint could be corrected to help him straighten his leg and stand but his knee cannot be released. To help Bariki have a chance to walk with ease he needs amputation above the knee so that when he is healed, he can use a prosthetic leg that will help him walk. Bariki’s mother shared, “I will be so happy if my son can be treated and be able to stand and walk instead of him crawling.”