Under the scorching Philippine sun, laughter fills the playground of Cagayan de Oro MCA (Millennium Christian Adventist Academy), a Adventist school. As her friends chase the ball, sweat glistening on their faces in a burst of youthful energy, time seems to pause for a fifteen year old girl named Aleha, seated quietly on a bench.
While her friends race across the field, all that Aleha is allowed is labored breathing and lips that slowly turn blue. Her wish is not grand. She longs simply to walk with her friends and to run without losing her breath, to live an ordinary day like any other child.
Fifteen years sustained by a miracle, three holes in her heart
Aleha’s small heart was wounded even before she saw the light of the world. During pregnancy, her father subjected her mother to violence, and the fear and extreme stress of those moments were passed directly to the unborn child. This brutal trial that began in the womb left a painful mark, congenital heart disease, and from the moment she was born, Aleha struggled for every breath.
Aleha’s congenital heart condition is deeply linked to the domestic violence her mother endured during pregnancy. The abuse inflicted severe psychological and physical trauma on both mother and fetus, critically affecting the development of the baby’s heart. A victim of violence before she ever entered the world, Aleha has lived ever since with a fragile heart, the enduring consequence of that tragedy.
Aleha suffers from a congenital heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot. Detailed examinations revealed that her heart has as many as three holes. Because of these defects, oxygen is not properly delivered throughout her body. Her fingertips have become blunt, and her lips are perpetually tinged with a pale blue, a sign of chronic cyanosis.
Doctors say that the very fact this child has survived to the age of fifteen, repeatedly standing at the threshold of death, is itself a miracle, one that cannot be explained without the protection of heaven.
A life sustained through food vending, a family that walked away
Aleha’s pain is not limited to her body. The father who was meant to protect the family, and even the older brother she trusted, both left and abandoned the household.
What remains is only her mother and Aleha, living in poor housing conditions and barely getting by as the mother earns a living selling food as a street vendor. Each day is a struggle to survive on what she can earn that day. Yet her mother has never given up on her sick daughter. Instead of resentment, the mother and daughter choose faith. Every Sabbath, they are among the first to arrive at church, faithful Seventh day Adventist believers who pray with tears, entrusting their lives to God.
The painful truth revealed too late and a small handwritten letter
Last January, twenty members of the Korea Sahmyook High School overseas volunteer team traveled to the Philippines with hearts full of passion for service. There, we met Aleha, a diligent student supported through an overseas scholarship program run by SOSA, a Seventh day Adventist nonprofit organization engaged in mission work.
Only after arriving on site did we learn the painful truth. The child who smiled so brightly in photographs was, in reality, enduring nights of tearing chest pain, fighting for her life every single day. During the volunteer period, Aleha shyly approached a teacher and handed over a handwritten letter she had written herself.
Holding that clumsy letter written in Korean, a letter that cared more for friends who had come from far away than for her own aching heart, the volunteer team could not hold back their tears. As Jesus taught us to value one soul more than the whole world, a clear calling was etched deeply into our hearts. Now, we know that it is our mission to help save this child.
The final missing puzzle piece, USD 20,000
To save Aleha, a cross border network of love is now moving urgently. The chaplain’s office of Korea Sahmyook High School, Deacon Kim Young Mi of Yongsan Church who serves as a mentor, and Son Man Sik, a self supporting missionary serving in Cagayan de Oro, have come together as one team and are doing everything possible. They are currently coordinating surgery schedules with an international heart hospital in Delhi, India, while also seeking support through a German heart foundation.
Yet the reality remains daunting. Despite assistance from multiple organizations, an additional USD 20,000 is still urgently needed to fully complete the surgery and recovery process.
The required additional funds will cover the remaining balance of the surgery costs, visa application fees for the mother and child, airfare and living expenses, and intensive rehabilitation treatment following surgery.
Please become Aleha’s breath
“Aleha, just wait a little longer. God has prepared countless warriors of prayer for you. Soon, you will be able to breathe freely.”
Please help ensure that the promise we made does not become an empty one. When your compassion comes together to fill what is lacking and this journey of life reaches its safe harbor, Aleha will, for the first time in her life, run freely across the playground not with blue lips, but with a rosy smile full of life.
We earnestly ask you to inscribe your name in love upon the miracle letter that Aleha will one day write.
Donation Inquiries
Yu Il Sang, Chaplain, HanKook Sahmyook High School
Chaplain’s Office, HanKook Sahmyook High School
Contact: t160@sahmyook.hs.kr