Four-year-old Salmee’s* breathing was labored as her father checked her heartbeat again. Deeply troubled by what he heard, Amir* looked into his daughter’s eyes. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his little girl. He felt powerless.
Raising his children in Jumla, Nepal, is full of obstacles. It is so remote that basic needs like health care and education are barely accessible. The rugged landscape makes travel difficult and limits families’ abilities to earn income. Amir farms, but it isn’t enough to feed his family. He wants his children to be healthy, but the resources are so rarely available.
That was the case for Salmee. After a clinic visit that offered no answers, she was referred to a hospital. Salmee finally received a diagnosis—rheumatic heart disease—but treatment there was impossible. She was referred to a larger medical center in the capital city of Kathmandu.
That’s when a sense of hopelessness set in. Amir did not have enough money to pay for the services Salmee needed. He also had no idea how to navigate the complex medical system. Kathmandu might as well have been in another country; it was impossible for him to take Salmee there for the life-saving help she needed.
“They [Salmee and her father] went back to their home and virtually accepted her fate. They were waiting for the terrible consequence,” reported our partner organization.
Miraculously, Amir stepped out in a final effort to find help. Staff at a mission hospital provided Salmee with what treatment they could, then referred her to our partner in Kathmandu.
It’s only through your gifts that our partner can take in ill or injured children from rural Nepal, providing their families with transportation, housing, and hospitality at a Samaritan’s Purse-built facility. Then we help with attending doctor appointments and follow-up medical care.
For children like Salmee, it means the difference between life and death.
She arrived in Kathmandu seriously unwell. Our partner rushed her to the hospital, where she was seen by a cardiologist and prescribed medication to bring down the swelling of her heart. Surgery is a future option, but in the meantime, trained staff at our partner’s facility supervised Salmee’s prescribed treatment, and she began to improve.
“She is on the way to recovery, and hope for life is possible,” our partner said.
“I don’t even have words to express my gratitude towards this organization and team,” Amir said, counting his blessings. “It has given me huge relief to see my daughter without pain and suffering. Let this organization keep on being the friends of the helpless like me.”
“O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me” (Psalm 30:2, ESV).
*Names changed to protect privacy
Your donation to Medical Care Projects helps Samaritan’s Purse Canada meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people around the world providing funds for life-saving medical equipment and surgical assistance, disease prevention initiatives and community health programs and training opportunities. We also offer spiritual support and eternal hope by meeting these critical needs while sharing the love of Christ.