Ritchina is a 7-month-old baby girl from Haiti. She lives with both of her loving parents and her older brother. Ritchina has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Ritchina has been experiencing increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Ritchina will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $897 to cover the cost of surgery for Ritchina at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat her hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on January 4th. This critical treatment will drain the excess fluid from Ritchina's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Ritchina will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Her parents are hopeful that surgery will allow their child to grow up healthy.

Gyan is a 14 year-old student joining high school this year from Kenya. He says that he is anxious but looking forward to upgrading to secondary school. He is the firstborn in a family of three children. His siblings are 5 and 12 years old. His father is the sole breadwinner who does hawking for a living. Income from this venture is inconsistent and therefore negligible to pay for the proposed surgery that Gyan needs. Gyan was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Gyan has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Gyan will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on January 5th. AMH is requesting $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Gyan's father says: “The boy is all grown now. I hope the condition is treated to avoid complications in the future.”

Mary is a 53-year-old who has been a widow since 2010 raising her two kids with challenges. Her older son has autism and requires full time attention. Her last-born daughter recently graduated from college and does not have a source of income yet. Mary lives in her ancestral home. She has not been able to pay her monthly insurance medical premiums so does not have coverage and has been relying on her relatives to support her medical bills. Mary feels in pain and uncomfortable. She has been having stomach pains for the last six months. She went to a local government hospital in central Kenya and was treated for amoeba and stomach pains. She was relieved for a short while, but the pains recurred. Almost a month later the pain increased and was accompanied by vomiting. She opted to visit Kijabe Hospital, where she was reviewed and the pain was controlled. She was requested to do a colonoscopy and other tests to get a detailed diagnosis. Since she was feeling better after the review, she did not follow up on the plan due to financial constraints. However, six months later the symptoms recurred and she came back in January. Her tests and a biopsy revealed cancer in the colon that needs urgent attention as it is life threatening. Mary has now been scheduled for a right hemicolectomy procedure. One side of the infected colon (large intestine) will be removed to avoid metastasis. Sadly, she is financially constrained. Her friends at home have requested time, two months, to be able to find the required amount for the surgery. This is a long period considering the case is cancerous. She appeals for support so she can undergo treatment now. Our medical partner is requesting $1,074 to fund her surgery and help her fight the cancer. Mary says, “I have been in pain for over six months now. I thought it would be relieved, but the diagnosis is now shockingly cancer. I need this surgery to stop the disease.”