Yves is a young man from Haiti. He lives with his parents and sister in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince; they have been caring for him since he fell ill about five years ago. Prior to his illness, he worked as a clerk for a local business. Yves has a cardiac condition called severe rheumatic mitral insufficiency. One of the four valves of his heart was severely damaged by a rheumatic fever that he suffered a number of years ago, and cannot adequately pump blood through his heart and body. The care Yves is not available anywhere in Haiti, so Yves will fly to Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On September 12th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will remove his damaged valve and implant an artificial replacement. Haiti Cardiac Alliance is contributing $9000 to pay for surgery. Yves's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It will also pay for the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Yves's family overseas, and the cost of obtaining Yves' passport. Says Yves: "I am hopeful that I can get back to a healthy and independent life once my heart problem is fixed!"

Kim Hong is a 31-year-old camera technician. He and his wife have a three-year-old daughter. His wife is a garment factory worker. In his free time, he enjoys football, running, swimming, reading books, and meeting friends to talk about work. In September 2021, he was in a motor vehicle accident and fractured his right clavicle. He went to a clinic and doctors fixated hardware to heal his fracture. Now, he has no more pain and the bone of his right clavicle is united. Kim Hong needs to have the plate and screws removed so that he no longer has metal in his body that risks infection. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On October 7th, Kim Hong will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $304. This procedure will remove the hardware so that he can continue to improve his strength and flexion of his shoulder and arm. Kim Hong shared: "I hope that the hardware will come out easily and I will heal quickly."

Esther, who is five years old, lives in a remote area of Tanzania, primarily populated by the Maasai people. Esther's parents rely on cattle breeding for income to support their family, but due to changing climate, there is increasingly insufficient pasture land to keep the cattle from starving. Esther has also been unwell for quite some time, and after seeking both spiritual and medical help, Esther's parents decided to relocate her, so that she now lives in the city with her grandmother. Esther was diagnosed with genu varus, or bow legs, a condition commonly caused by excessive fluoride in the bones, a result of ingesting contaminated drinking water. Her legs bow outward, making it difficult for her to walk. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Esther. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 6th, at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Treatment will hopefully restore Esther's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Esther’s grandmother says: “Esther is now a happy girl, I wish for her legs to be normal so that she doesn’t have to suffer in the future.”