Aaron is a 16-month-old baby boy from Haiti. He lives in Port-au-Prince with his two loving parents and three older sisters. His parents describe him as a happy and outgoing baby. Aaron was born with a congenital heart defect called Aortic coarctation, where a major blood vessel leading from the heart is too narrow. It forces the heart to pump harder to move blood through the aorta. Often, this condition can go undiagnosed and result in fatality later in life. Fortunately, Aaron was diagnosed by our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), and a treatment plan has been created. On April 17th, doctors will perform the surgery and use a balloon attached to a catheter to stretch the aorta to a more appropriate size. HCA is requesting $1500 to fund the procedure. After the surgery, Aaron should live more comfortably and his parents with less worry. His mother says, "We are very excited to know that this surgery will finally be possible for our son!"

Chan Heng is a seven-year-old first-grader. She lives in Kampong Chnang province with her parents and younger sister. Her mom works in a nearby garment factory, and her dad is a rice farmer. Chan Heng enjoys playing with her little sister, eating fried eggs with rice, and hopes to become a teacher one day. Approximately four years ago, Chan Heng started encountering a sore throat and challenges with swallowing, leading to frequent school absences and disrupted sleep. Chan Heng was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if left untreated, will cause her symptoms to persist and potentially worsen. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Chan Heng, scheduled for June 8th. Through this procedure, surgeons aim to remove her tonsils and adenoids, hoping to alleviate Chan Heng's symptoms and significantly improve her overall comfort and well-being. Her mother shared, "I hope everything will be easier for my daughter after her surgery. I want her to feel well at school and sleep better."

Aung, who is 25 years old, lives with his mother, brother and two sisters in Burma. His mother is retired, and his brother is a security guard. One of his sisters works at a bicycle factory, while the other one works for a local company. Aung is currently unemployed because of his poor health. In October 2022, Aung fell ill and developed a persistent cough. He went to a charity hospital, where he was told that he had a heart infection. After he was treated with injected antibiotics, the doctor told him that he needed an echocardiogram, because he might have a heart condition due to the infection. After the echo was completed, he was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation, and he was referred to a cardiologist in Yangon. Aung went to see the cardiologist, who told him that he would need surgery, which he could not afford. On December 25, 2022, both of Aung's legs and his arms became swollen, and he was unable to sleep. He went to a private hospital, where it was determined that he would need surgery as soon as possible. Currently, Aung feels extremely fatigued, experiences chest pains, and has difficulty breathing. Sometimes, his legs and his arms become swollen, and he cannot sleep well at night. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for the mitral valve replacement surgery that Aung needs. The procedure is currently scheduled to take place on April 2nd, at Pun Hlaing Hospital. "In the future, I want to work as a taxi driver, because I believe that I could easily earn money doing this [in the city]," said Aung.