Francklin is a loving husband and father from Haiti. He lives with his wife and two children in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. He works as a security guard for a private security company. Francklin has a cardiac condition called severe mitral stenosis which resulted from a rheumatic fever that he suffered when he was young. Blood cannot pass through a valve in his heart properly, leaving him weak and short of breath. The cardiac surgery that Francklin's condition requires is not available in Haiti, so he needs to fly to the United States to receive treatment. On November 18th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will attempt to repair the damaged valve; if they are unable, they will need to implant an artificial replacement. Another organization, the Baylor Scott & White Heart Hospital, is contributing $20,000 to pay for his surgery. Francklin's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep, travel, and follow-up care while he heals. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social worker from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Francklin overseas. Francklin says, "My family and I will pray for God's blessings on everyone who is helping us."

Channarith is a 47-year-old security guard for a local restaurant. He is married and has two sons and one daughter. His wife also works in a local clothes factory. In his free time, he enjoys listening to the radio, reading the news, watching boxing, and exercising. Last week, Channarith was in a collision with another motorbike. He did not seek any care but now he cannot work, is in pain, and cannot move his right shoulder. Fortunately, a neighbor told him about Children's Surgical Centre and the care they provide. Surgeons there have diagnosed him with a dislocated right shoulder and recommend immediate surgery. Channarith needs help with the $485 cost of closed reduction surgery on his shoulder, which will include the operation, medications, and post-operative care. Channarith shared: "I hope, after surgery, I will have full function of my shoulder, no pain, and can return to work soon."

Regina is a 13-year-old girl from Kenya. She is the secondborn in a family of three children. Her parents separated a few years back, and she and all of her siblings currently live with their mother in their ancestral home. Regina’s mother practices small-scale farming to provide food for their family. Her mother shares that she previously ran a small kiosk in their hometown where she sold fruits, but she has been unable to sustain the business since Regina fell sick in June. They currently rely on Regina’s grandmother to help support them. Regina has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Regina has been experiencing fevers and severe headaches. Although she and her family have been to different hospitals seeking treatment, they have not seen much change in her condition. Fortunately, they were referred to our medical partner's care center, BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital, where she will undergo surgery to treat her hydrocephalus. Without treatment, Regina would experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Regina. The procedure is scheduled to take place on August 17th and will drain the excess fluid from Regina's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Regina will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Regina’s mother says, “I am not happy that my child is in this condition. I want her to get well and bring back my happiness.”

Abigaelle is an 18-month-old infant from Haiti. She has two siblings: one brother and one sister. She is a happy and cheerful baby who loves to smile and play! Abigaelle has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Abigaelle has been experiencing an increase in head circumference. Without treatment, Abigaelle will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Abigaelle at Hospital Bernard Mevs to treat her hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 13th. This critical treatment will place a shunt to drain the excess fluid from Abigaelle's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, she will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Abigaelle's family shares that they are looking forward to their child being healthy.

Soy is a 55-year-old rice farmer who is married and has one daughter, two sons, and five grandchildren. Soy lives with his wife who is also a farmer and his oldest daughter who is a garment worker. They also have a few cows to support their family. At home, Soy likes to watch the news and funny stories on TV. Five years ago, Soy developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him sensitivity to light and blurry vision. Soy has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on his own. When Soy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On June 6th, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, Soy will be able to see clearly. CSC is raising $253 to fund this life altering procedure. Soy shared, "I really hope after surgery, I will be able to see better again. I want do more with my days."

John is a 38 year old father of two, living in Kenya. He is separated from his wife, and works as a taxi driver. For ten years, John has experienced difficulty swallowing food and liquid. He tried to treat his condition with traditional medicines, but that has been unsuccessful. When his condition worsened and he found himself losing weight, John decided to meet with doctors from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. He was diagnosed with Achalasia, which is usually the result of damage to the esophagus. In order to prevent his condition from progressing, John will require surgery. Thanks to the assistance of our medical partner, John will undergo a curative laparotomy on October 17th, at AIC Kijabe Hospital, which should restore his ability to swallow, and return him to good health. John is requesting your support to fund this procedure, which will cost $1,074. John says: “My neck is paining, and I am unable to swallow solid foods. I have seriously lost a lot of weight. I need this treatment to be able to eat and be well again.”

Roeun is a 69-year-old rice farmer with three daughters, seven sons, and 24 grandchildren. Roeun lives with her husband and their youngest daughter who is a tailor. She likes to listen to the monks pray on the radio and visit the pagoda to join in on ceremonies. Five years ago, Roeun developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision, tearing, and photophobia. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Roeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four-and-a-half hours seeking treatment. On May 10th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly again. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Roeun says, "I hope after surgery my eye can see clearly. I would like to recognize things well and travel to the pagoda if I can see well again."

Boniface is an 8-year-old student who is in the fourth grade. His mother shared that he is an avid learner, and his best subjects are Swahili and Mathematics. Boniface is the youngest child in his family of four children. He comes from a community where they practice small-scale farming and keep livestock. Where he lives, children around the age of three to five start looking after the baby goats and lambs around their home to help contribute to the family's daily chores. Boniface also enjoys going out with his older sibling to collect firewood. Boniface has clubfoot in his right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape, which causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Boniface's family was able to travel to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), for treatment at their care center. On April 22nd, surgeons will perform a clubfoot repair procedure to help Boniface walk easily. AMH is requesting $935 to fund this surgery. Boniface is hopeful that he will be able to be more active soon!

Tin is a 45-year-old man. Originally from Burma, he fled to Thailand over 20 years ago due to civil war. He currently lives with his wife, who works as a street vendor selling various snacks and vegetable, and one of his daughters, who is currently in school. His family also raises chickens, which they sell when they need cash. Tin previously worked as a farmer and a construction worker, but he has recently been unable to work due to his condition. In the future, he hopes to go back to work and help support his family. After an incident that occurred this past April that caused him to be hit in the left eye by a mango, Tin lost his vision in that eye and began to experience headaches, swelling, severe eye pain, and dizziness when attempting to stand. Tin eventually sought medical attention at a clinic. There, a medic checked his left eye, gave him a bottle of eye drops, and told him to seek treatment at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) since they could not treat him there. However, he did not go to MTC right away due to financial constraints. He instead hoped that his eye would recover over time with the help of eye drops. Although his pain was temporarily reduced, the bruising disappeared, and the swelling went down over time, he never regained his vision. The pain in his eye eventually returned, and he noticed that he had a white spot on his left pupil. As the white spot increased in size, his eye progressively became more painful and began to itch. He now experiences discharge and watering in his eye, as well as difficulty sleeping. At the beginning of this month, a small lump appeared near the white spot on his left pupil. The lump gradually increased in size until it bursted on August 13th. After the discharge and bleeding from the lump stopped, he asked his friend to take him to MTC right away. When he arrived at the clinic, he was told to come back on Monday since there were not any eye specialist medics working on the weekend. When Tin returned on Monday, a medic examined his left eye, and he was diagnosed with corneal perforation, a condition resulting from the cornea being penetrated and damaged. Tin was also told that his eye is infected. He now must undergo surgery at our medical partner's care center, Mae Sot General Hospital, to remove his left eye as quickly as possible before the infection spreads to his right eye. Fortunately, Tin was referred to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), for financial assistance accessing treatment. On August 17th, surgeons at our medical partner's care center will perform an enucleation to remove his left eye. Now, BCMF is requesting $1,500 to fund Tin's life-changing procedure. Tin shares, “I feel very depressed and worried about my eye. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I lost vision in both of my eyes. I want to receive surgery quickly to prevent my right eye from becoming infected. Without your help, I don’t think I would be able to receive further treatment. Therefore, I want to say thank you to the donors and the organization for agreeing to support my treatment costs.”