Nine years old but the size of a five-year old. This is Mariam, an orphan who suffered from a congenital heart defect. Her disease was so advanced, and walking so exhausting, that she had to be carried 24/7. From a very remote part of Tanzania, she was lucky to be in Dar es Salaam during our mission. We tried all week to figure out how to save her. Dr. Darren Berman, our interventional cardiologist and mission lead, was still not willing to give up on her; none of us were. In the end, she was inoperable and we gave her medicine to keep her comfortable. Mariam died this week. It would be easy to post about any one of the more than two hundred children whose lives were transformed by our medical teams in 2022. We are so proud of this accomplishment, and yet, we are taking this opportunity to shine light on a little girl who was too ill to go to school; whose caregivers were too poor to get her heart disease diagnosed in time. Mariam will never know 2023, or another birthday, and we don’t want her to be just a statistic. As we all gather and look to the new year for health and prosperity, we ask for your support to ensure we reach more kids like Mariam, before they run out of time. This is for Mariam. May you rest in peace. May your memory always be a blessing. On behalf of the board and all of us at Mending Kids, may your futures be bright. Together, we are mending kids.
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