Christie is a four-year-old girl from Haiti, who lives with her parents and two older siblings in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. She is in preschool, and is learning to read. She loves dressing up and playing with her friends. Christie has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two major blood vessels next to her heart; blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. Christie will fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On May 13th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use a device on the end of a catheter to plug the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Another organization, International Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $4,000 to pay for surgery. Christie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Christie's family overseas. Christie's mother says: "Our family is so thankful that our daughter has this chance to travel and to get her heart healed!"

Punleu is a 17-year-old Grade 11 student from Cambodia. He lives in Kampot Province with his parents and younger brother, who is in Grade 8. His father works as a construction contractor, and his mother stays at home to manage household duties and take care of their orange farm. Punleu enjoys studying Khmer literature. In his free time, he likes listening to music and playing volleyball with his friends in the village. He hopes to become an agricultural specialist in the future. In December 2024, Punleu was in in a motor vehicle accident that caused a fracture in his right lower leg. He was treated at a provincial hospital where he underwent ORIF surgery with plate and screw fixation of the leg. Since the surgery, he has been experiencing pain when walking long distances and stiffness in his right leg during cold weather, which affects his daily activities and mobility. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On May 18th, Punleu will undergo a hardware removal procedure to reduce pain and stiffness and improve his walking ability and overall comfort. Punleu's family is contributing to his surgery, but they need to raise an additional $303 for the procedure. Punleu says, “After the surgery, I hope I will be able to walk better without pain, regain my strength and confidence, and return to my normal daily life, studies, and activities without any limitation.”

Rai is a 15-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives in Siem Reap Province with his parents and siblings, where they share a modest home. His entire family works together as construction workers, putting in long, physically demanding hours each day to support one another and make a living. In his free time, he enjoys playing football and helping his parents with work. His favorite meal is sour fish soup with fried vegetables. When he was seven years old, Rai had a severe burn on his left arm in an accident involving hot glue at his parents’ worksite in Thailand. After the injury, he developed a burn scar contracture on his left arm, which limits his movement and sometimes causes pain. This makes it difficult for him to carry out physical work and affects his daily activities. When Rai's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled for eight hours seeking treatment. On March 19th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to improve movement in his arm, reduce pain, and allow him to work more comfortably. Now, he needs help to fund this $652 procedure. Rai's mother said, “After the surgery, I truly hope my son will recover well, regain full movement in his arm, and live without pain so he can work comfortably and have a better, brighter future.”