Category: Medical Mercy Fund

“Ma, I’m tired. Ma, I want to go home. Ma, I feel like I’m going to faint.” Mike-mike cautions his mother when he is not feeling well, which is often.

Unlike other kids his age, five-year-old Mike-mike is unable to run around and be active. He is easily fatigued and will faint or go into seizure when out of breath. Mike-mike suffers from a congenital heart defect—there is a hole in his heart and a blocked blood vessel, affecting how blood and oxygen travel throughout...

Now They See

What would you do if you have been living with a genetic condition that took away your and even your children’s sight, then learned that it could be cured by an eye surgery procedure that you know you couldn’t afford? Would you give up hope? Transform participant Gloria and her children had such a condition...

Patient Update

Dennis Kyle and Wen Heart come from very different parts of the Philippines but were brought together in Hong Kong to receive surgery for clubfoot. The boys have a lot in common, from their interest in soccer to their experiences with bullies. As a child, Dennis Kyle was called “bali paa” or “twisted foot” by...

Reniel’s Fight for Life

Reniel started his life at a disadvantage. Abandoned by his father, Reniel is being raised by his mother Riza who earned income doing odd jobs. Amidst poverty and rejection, he was a healthy and happy baby, and Riza was excited to see her boy grow. However, when he turned  one, Reniel began to grow sickly...

Renewed Health, Renewed Hope

Seven-year-old Jenny Mae born with Hirschsprung’s Disease, a condition that almost took her life when she was still a newborn. Her mother Jeanalyn rushed her to the hospital, and they found out that Jenny Mae needed a major operation. She was able to receive the initial operation, since her mother’s employment insurance and donations from...

No need for a scarf

Nineteen-year-old Gem had to stop attending school and enter the workforce the year she turned 13. One of seven siblings, Gem’s parents had separated when she was nine. Gem’s mother went to work in Manila, but would only send money home when she was employed. Gem’s father worked as a seasonal farmer, and his income...

A Long Stretch

‘Crooked Arm’ was the name Kim-kim’s classmates called him in the schoolyard.  It was an unsurprising nickname – the six-year old’s dislocated elbow hung at an obvious and uncomfortable angle. The bullying didn’t stop with name calling; unable to defend himself, Kim-kim was pushed around and roughed up in the schoolyard as well.  It got...

A New Reason To Smile

Life is tough for Maricel. Her family lives in ultra poverty. Maricel and her husband are rice field laborers and earn a combined monthly income of US$22.22/PHP1,000, well under what is needed to provide for their family of four. Maricel didn’t graduate from elementary school – her parents had been unable to pay for her...

A Blooming Flower

“Please help our child receive surgery. We want her to grow up normally,  become happy and be successful in the future.” This was Jonamie and Jeperlito’s plea for their three-year-old daughter, Jasmine.   Jasmine appeared to be a healthy seven-month-old until one day she began to vomit uncontrollably. Her parents rushed Jasmine to the hospital...

Joshua’s Surprise on the Internet

Joshua E was surfing the internet from his home in Los Angeles. The medical student had developed an effective motivation to keep up with his studies and schedule: if he didn’t complete his daily tasks, he would donate US$20 to charity. One day, Joshua E didn’t finish his jobs. Making good on his promise to...