Life-Changing Heart Surgeries for Kids in Vietnam

MEDRIX was thrilled that as a result of all of the generous donations made on behalf of children seeking life-changing heart surgeries in Vietnam, our project on GlobalGiving is considered ongoing. What does this mean? Instead of "capping" donations for heart surgeries and ending the fundraiser because we met our goal, we extended our goal to ten children being sponsored instead of five. Thanks to your outpouring of support, we were inspired to keep going and not set limits on bringing hope to families in need. 

MEDRIX Executive Director LaRelle Catherman is currently in Vietnam with Vietnam Project Manager Pham Thi Thu Ha, planning projects for 2014. They spent time interviewing families seeking surgeries for their children born with heart defects. MEDRIX is pleased to announce that so far, six families have been selected for sponsorship! All live in poverty, many in rural areas that are far away from specialized medical care. When necessary, MEDRIX helps support these families with food, transportation, and housing while they stay in Hue during and after surgery. Below are a few words from LaRelle from the field, sharing the difference that YOU have made in the lives of many young children. 

"Tonight at sit at the computer in my nice hotel and write this letter to you, our donors.  You have made a big difference in the lives of six more children here in Vietnam.  Each one of them has a heart defect that has compromised their life.  But the bright side is that they now have a chance for a better life, thanks to you! 

There are 3 children who come from a very poor district called Quang Tri, just north of Hue where we currently are working.  Quang Tri is a mixture of rice fields in the low lands and mountainous unfertile areas.  Life in Quang Tri is very hard, and most of the people are very poor and do not have access to good health care.  Their lives are so hard that they often do not realize that their children have significant health diseases or need heart surgery. [In Quang Tri]...health access is very difficult and the poverty of the people complicate their lives.  This is what has happened to Xay, who we will call Ray.  For the last few years he has been chronically tired and unable to keep up with school activities or to assist his father who hunts and gathers food in the forest.  This young teen has a ready smile and is eager to have surgery, and then to ‘get on with his life’ and return to school.  When asked if he was little nervous he said, 'No, because I haven’t experienced this before, so I don’t have any fear'. Now I would call that brave."

Two of the other children are from Ha Tinh province, about 350 miles away from the hospital in Hue. The sixth child is a young baby from an ethnic minority family from A Luoi province, about 75 miles away from Hue. A Luoi to Hue is a rough journey through rainforest and undeveloped dirt roads. Many of these families have little hope due to their poor financial circumstances. By partnering with two other NGOs in Vietnam, MEDRIX is able to sponsor these families and meet their immediate needs so their children can heal without worry. Your generous donation to this project has made an enormous difference in their lives. 

Thank you for donating to our cause. Please consider telling your friends and family about our project and the MEDRIX mission - share the link on your blogs or social networks, use the tell-a-friend feature on the project page to email your network, or just bring us up in conversation. Tell them why you chose our project and why it touched your heart. 

Thank you again for all you have done to help MEDRIX continue serving the people of Vietnam.

Links:

• MEDRIX Heart Surgeries