MeleKare collects un-used, out-dated medical supplies and we donate them to a team who travels to Cuba regularly. Below is a letter from one of the co-ordinators for this charitable organization.
Dear MeleKare
I want to thank you again for the generous donations of medical supplies for Cuba.
I am enclosing a few pictures from our successful trip.
The doctor was delightfully and overwhelmingly grateful for everything you provided.
She was asking questions because some of the things she had never seen before, like tagederm dressings.
You have done something larger than you can imagine that has touched the lives of so many. I am extremely grateful and appreciative as I saw first hand the impact these donations will have on common people in Cuba!
These pictures give you an idea of the place where you are making a difference!!
Thank you!!
The baby in the picture was born a year ago and is still awaiting surgery on his heart. The values to his heart are about 75% closed. His testicles also have not dropped. There are no beds in ICU is what the parents have been told for a while now.
The hospital is 3 hours drive one way. Two weeks ago he ended up in hospital with an infection. On his birthday they spent the day waiting and sitting in an ambulance to go in for the surgery only to hear the equipment in the operating room was broken so they were sent home….This is life in Cuba.
The little girl has had a stomach disease (hard for them to translate to English) her body was starving itself because of it. Finally she has had surgery and is responding to the surgery. In this picture the girl was telling us about what this meant to her and how thankful she was.
This baby was born just before our arrival last April, look at his hernia! His parents said they have to wait until he is over one year old to have anything done about it….
Here is a picture of a 40 yr old man who has a pace maker, he has lupus and they were going to do tests to see if they could do something about the lupus but he had a heart attack in the middle of it, so they stopped, he has been given 2 yrs or less to live….
Just some of the first aid and medical supplies that were donated to Cuba
Sorting Supplies
Sorting Care packages
The group picture represents some but not all of the pastors who were given packages of first aid items for their churches.
The picture is of the ceiling in the bedroom where the baby with the hernia, his two siblings and parents live. Termites are eating the roof and the termite waste and piece of the ceiling are falling on the family as they sleep. When it rains the beds are all wet.
We are currently trying to raise money to replace the roof.