Melodie is an 11-month-old baby from Haiti. She lives in Port-au-Prince with her mother, father, and two older sisters. Her father is a school principal, and her mother is a homemaker. Melodie has a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. There is a hole between the two lower chambers of Melodie's heart. Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. Melodie also has Down Syndrome. Since the care she needs is not available in Haiti, Melodie will fly to Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On April 18th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will close the hole in Melodie's heart using a patch. Haiti Cardiac Alliance is contributing $8,000 to pay for the surgery. Melodie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and follow-up appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Melodie's family overseas. Melodie's mother shared: "Our family has been very scared about whether our daughter will have surgery in time. We are very happy to know that the date is almost here!"

Sokha is a 54-year-old womanwho has a calm, quiet presence. Her husband is a Khmer language teacher at primary school. They have one daughter, who is in the twelfth grade. Sokha's family is very important to her, so she spends much of her time cooking and cleaning, as well as with her close relatives. About thirty years ago, Sokha developed a severe ear infection, which caused her tympanic membrane, or eardrum, in her left ear to perforate. As a result, Sokha has experienced tinnitus and discharge for as long as she can remember, especially when she has a cold or upper respiratory infection. She has developed increased hearing loss and has difficulty communicating with others, as she needs to lip-read to make her replies. Sokha has visited treatment centers but shared that the medication is expensive and has not relieved her symptoms. Upon learning about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), Sokha traveled to their care center for treatment. On March 7th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her left ear, and surgeons will close the perforation. CSC is requesting $464 to fund her procedure, which covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. After thirty years of symptoms, Soksa shared that she hopes she will have improved hearing and no more infections after her surgery!

Meet Lucy, a 3-year-old jovial girl. She is the second born and last born in the family. Her family hails from Mai-Mahiu village in Nakuru County of Kenya. Lucy's mother separated from her father after having challenges in the family. Now they live in a two-room rental house in their village and her mom does laundry, farming, and any other work she can get within the village. Our medical partner met Lucy at the Kijabe clinic, where she came with her mother. Lucy has a fracture on her hand that was sustained after a fall last year. She was taken to a hospital in Kiambu county, where casting was done, and she was later told that the hand had healed. Lucy's mother noticed, however, that her hand is still not well and she is not able to lift things or do all that she should be able to. Lucy is scheduled to undergo osteotomy surgery to correct her left hand. Her mother is not able to raise the hospital bill and has requested support. "Any help to assist my daughter with undergoing surgery will be highly appreciated," Lucy’s mother shared.