7 Lives, 7 Days: Patience

Sweet, somber Patience is just one year old.

Patience and her twin sister are the youngest of five siblings. The five children and their mother live in a small, one-room house in rural Uganda. 

Patience and her sister were born during difficult times — the COVID lockdowns. Patience was born with a cleft lip. Shortly after birth, she was also diagnosed with a heart condition called a ventricular septal defect (VSD).

Upon learning that his daughter had a heart condition requiring surgery, Patience’s father believed his daughter was cursed. He abandoned his family, leaving them to survive on their own, and has since remarried. 

A village initiative helped Patience’s mother establish a charcoal business to try to provide relief for the family. Unfortunately, this overwhelmed mother of five is so busy caring for Patience and taking her to the hospital for care that she cannot regularly work. She is unable to provide stable care for her youngest children, and paying for her daughter’s surgery is far beyond her means.

We are honored to have the opportunity to stand with Patience and her mom during this very difficult time.

This week during our 7 Lives, 7 Days campaign, we’re working to raise the funds needed to send Patience and six other precious Ugandan children to India for the heart surgeries they must have in order to survive. As of today, we’ve reached 26% of our goal. Will you please help us say yes to Patience?

Your gift in any amount will provide hope for a lifetime of health and make all the difference in the world for these children and their families. 

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