Grace is a farmer and a mother of eight living children. She is married to John, a 60-year-old man from Kijweka Village. She has both parents as well as her husband and she is the 6th born in a family of 8 children. She shared that in her childhood, she did not attend school but her husband studied up to primary five. She does small-scale farming together with her husband to sustain their family. She carried sixteen pregnancies and delivered well but 8 of her children died when they were still young. Her children are doing well, and the last born is now ten years old. Grace has been diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia. She is having pain in her lower abdomen and back pain. She went to different hospitals and was given treatment but all in vain. This condition has caused her a lot of discomfort, and she no longer does her farming activities well. She finds it hard to be in public because of her condition. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $253 to fund Grace's surgery. On February 2nd, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Rwibaale Health Center. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully alleviate her symptoms and she can live a fuller life once again. Grace shared: "I hope to get rid of pain and resume with farming.’’

Noelanie is a playful preschooler from Haiti who loves music and dancing. She lives with her parents and two older siblings in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince; Noelanie has a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus. A hole exists between two major blood vessels near her heart; blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. The care Noelanie needs is not available within Haiti so she will travel to the United States to receive treatment. On February 9th, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use a device attached to the end of a catheter to fill the hole. Another organization, Gift of Life New York, is contributing $4000 towards her surgery. Noelanie's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep, travel, and follow up medical care. 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, International Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Noelanie's family overseas. Noelanie's mother says, "Our family has been praying for years that Noelanie's heart would be fixed one day, and we are so happy to know it is happening."

Oliver is a married mother of four children, all of whom are married with children except the last one who is still in school. She is a farmer together with her husband. Her second child, a daughter, has been there for her support throughout her illness. Oliver likes chatting with her daughter and enjoys eating nsima made from cassava maize flour served with fresh fish. Oliver was well until one year ago when she noted a small lump on her right breast that was not painful. She visited her nearest hospital where some pain medication was provided. She visited many other hospitals after noting that the growth was becoming bigger as time passed. At one of the hospitals, a diagnosis of suspected breast cancer was made before proceeding to Kamuzu Central Hospital for further assessments. At Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), different tests were done, and a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma was made followed by four cycles of neoadjuvant therapy. Oliver was later scheduled for surgery on January 15th this year but unfortunately, she did not report back since she did not have the funds. On January 29th, Oliver went back to KCH where she was referred to our medical partner's care center Partners in Hope Medical Center (PIH) so that she can undergo surgery more urgently. Of late, Oliver has been experiencing needle pricking pains, and weakness affecting her farm work plus household chores as a mother. On January 30th, Oliver reported to PIH and met the surgeon who confirmed the need for a modified radical mastectomy. Modified radical mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast, including the nipple, areola, and skin plus most axillary lymph nodes. Oliver believes the surgical operation will help her get back home in a good condition and enable her to resume her farm work. Oliver said, “Kindly remove this breast for me to have my peace of mind after getting rid of these bad symptoms that I experience, I would rather be able to move on in my age.”