Shaun Groves
“Fatao’s disease is not a disease for a poor person. There is no way to pay . . . My prayer was that God would find somebody or give us the means to treat the child, and now that I know that Fatao will receive the surgery [through the Medical Assistance Fund], I am very happy, and I’m thankful to God.” – Sanaou Pauline, Fatao’s mother
Abdoul Fatao has been suffering from heart problems since he was one.
The option for treatment was not available to Fatao because he and his family live in poverty in Burkina Faso.
Recently, Fatao was registered at the local church into Compassion’s Child Development Center.
During his first medical visit, Fatao’s heart condition was diagnosed.
The hope for healing? Heart surgery.
For this particular surgery to take place, Fatao will need to travel to India.
The total cost of Fatao’s surgery, including passport, visa, travel, the surgery itself and follow-up care, is $23,000.
With your help, Compassion is stepping into the gap for this little boy. Your generous donation will help pay for this surgery that Fatao so desperately needs.
“I wept for joy when I found out that Fatao would be able to have the surgery. I bent my head down because I didn’t want the pastor to see me cry, but they were tears of joy.” – Kone Lassina, Fatao’s father
Any money raised in addition to the $23,000 for Fatao’s surgery will be used to pay for similar surgeries for other children in Compassion International’s sponsorship program.
Compassion staf are writing about Fatao’s journey as he makes the trek from Africa to India and home again, updating us with words, pictures and video. Go here to follow Fatao’s journey. Or follow @compassion on Twitter where updates on Fatao’s story will be given with the hashtag #Fatao.
You know I never ask you for links. I’m begging you to link to Fatao’s journey, his donation page, or to this post of mine. We have two days to raise $23,000, internet friends. Ready? Go!
Thank you for following, praying and giving!
Marla Taviano says:
My 34yo husband had a heart attack in October, and the heart surgeon (and God) saved his life. How could I not help this beautiful little boy get his heart fixed? Tweeted, facebooked, gave, praying. Thanks for sharing the need, Shaun.
Jenn says:
Marla, I am so glad your husband survived! How is he now? My father died from a heart attack when he was only 33. It’s amazing how much medical technology has advanced in the past 20-plus years.
Marla Taviano says:
He’s doing well. Thanks for asking. He’s recently started struggling with anxiety/panic attacks stemming from surviving a heart attack + coming back from 5 weeks in Cambodia to a stressful work situation/hospital bills. It’s been a rough month, but God is sustaining us.
I’m so sorry about your dad. That breaks my heart. They told us (after the fact) that Gabe had about a 90-minute window of survival. From the time the squad got to him until the time they put the stent in, 78 minutes had gone by. His left anterior descending artery (the widow maker) was 100% blocked. My girls could have so easily been in your shoes.
His latest echocardiogram shows that he has recovered full heart function. Amazing. Thank you, Jesus.
Jenn says:
I am so glad to hear he is doing well! I am not surprised about the anxiety; I would think that a very common thing after such an unexpected trauma. I will pray for him (and for you). It sounds like you guys are dealing with a lot right now.
My daughter is doing great now. She had her last (final!) surgery about a year ago. You really would not know she had any health issues to look at her. She does have some anxiety issues as well, but that is to be expected after hospital stays and a painful recovery. She was a baby for the first two, so we had the luxury of her not remembering. But she is strong and brave and we have learned so much by watching her live. And now we are dealing with the same heart issues that every parent has to deal with!
Jason_73 says:
I posted the link on FB. I mentioned that while everyone is trying to get Kony killed they can save also save Fatao’s life.
Jenn says:
My baby girl has had three heart surgeries, so I could not type fast enough to share about little Fatao. We have never taken her care for granted, and his story just reaffirmed why. We are praying and tweeting and I even temporarily suspended my facebook fast to share as well. All of the almost 500 Heart Mamas are on it!
Shaun Groves says:
Thank you, Jenn!
Jenn says:
Thank you, Shaun! Do you know if they have been updating the total raised? I am hoping they have not… I keep checking the page for progress.
Shaun Groves says:
I’ve asked about that. A little discouraging to see that number staying the same all day long. SURELY it’s not been updated yet.
I’ll let you know when I hear from the internet marketing team about that.
Shaun Groves says:
The total is being updated manually every two hours. For techy reasons I don’t understand, there are multiple pages for this campaign. This one seems to be updated right now: http://compassion.com/heart
Jenn says:
Well, that is confusing… and a little sad that it’s not more. I guess the glass-half-full view is that it’s double what it was before. Do you know what will happen if they don’t get enough?
Shaun Groves says:
He will still get the surgery. The surgery will be paid for by the Medical Fund at Compassion. The funds being raised will replenish that fund.
Even more confusing, eh? I’m learning the details right along with you. ; )
Marla Taviano says:
Oh, wow, Jenn. Praying for your little girl. How is she doing?
Marla Taviano says:
Fatao’s donations are over $10,000 now. Woohoo!!
Yvonne says:
Gave, blogged, shared on Facebook, shared on Pinterest…praying
Kristy Ufheil says:
It was an honor to meet you today at Judson. Thank you for being a voice for the voiceless. I’ve been counting all my “what-is-its” today….feeling overwhelmed by His goodness and newly aware of the extent of my leftovers! Thanks again for such a convicting message….I needed that perspective shift.