Felix is a young man from Haiti. Felix lives with his parents, older sister, and younger brother in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. His father is a maintenance worker at a local hospital, and his mother is a market vendor. He attends high school and would like to become a teacher. Felix has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral stenosis. One of the four valves in his heart is severely damaged as the result of an infection he suffered earlier in childhood. As a result, his heart cannot adequately pump blood through his body, leaving him weak and short of breath. Felix now has the opportunity to fly to United States to receive treatment as the care he needs is not available anywhere in Haiti right now. On October 21st, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will remove Felix's damaged valve and implant an artificial replacement. Another organization, Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital, is contributing $26,000 to pay for surgery, but Felix's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and follow up. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Felix's family overseas. Felix is excited for the future, and says "I am looking forward to being able to re-enroll in school once I have recovered from my surgery."

Meet Anna from Malawi: a 55 year old married mother of two children, aged 38 and 35 respectively. Anna is a business woman, whose husband does piece work in town when he can get jobs to do. Anna was healthy until about 30 years ago, when she started experiencing intermittent swelling above the umbilical area. She didn't think it was important, so she did not seek medical help. Over time, however, the frequency of the swelling episodes increased, and she began to experience discomfort. In 2022, Anna’s condition deteriorated, and she visited different hospitals, where the problem was associated with her raised blood pressure. Due to increased swelling, Anna found that she could no longer conduct her business. In September of this year, Anna visited a private hospital, where a diagnosis of an epigastric hernia was made. Surgical intervention is required. If the hernia is left untreated, it could become strangulated, which can be a life threatening development. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $575 to fund Anna's hernia repair surgery, which is scheduled for November 15th, at Partners in Hope Medical Center. Anna looks forward to a successful surgery that will enable her to refocus on her business, so that she can continue supporting her family.

Winne is a small-scale farmer and mother of eight children from Uganda. She lost her husband five years ago. Her children have not been able to attend school, and they cannot afford to look after their mother financially. She used to practice farming before she got ill, and she hopes to continue after recovering. Fifteen years ago, Winne began to experience troubling symptoms, including difficulty in swallowing food and a neck swelling that has increased in size over the years. She was diagnosed with right multinodular thyroiditis. This condition causes her airway obstruction, and she can no longer work comfortably. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Winne receive treatment for thyroid removal surgery on November 3rd at our medical partner's care center. This procedure costs $333, and she and her family need help raising money. Winne says, "I pray for a successful recovery, and after treatment, I will resume farming and be able to better support my family."