CURE Check-Up highlights the lives of CUREkids from around the world and those who serve them. The stories capture the physical and spiritual transformation happening around the CURE Children's Hospital Network. This is possible by God's grace and the role of partners and supporters whose participation makes a difference in the lives of the most vulnerablechildren with disabilities.
Editor-in-Chief — DEBBIE STOWELL
President/CEO — JUSTIN NARDUCCI Head of Donor Relations — GREG FORNEY
Creative Director — JOSHUA BEST
Lead Storyteller — JOEL WITWER
Content Coordinator — ALYSSA MIHALIK
Designers — KEN STEWART & S ARA RECKNAGEL
Your partnership brings the goodness of God into the lives of children and families.
Read exciting updates from around the CURE network.
A look at the record-breaking numbers from the hospitals.
CURE International is a Christian non-profit organization that operates a global network of eight pediatric hospitals providing world-class surgical and intentional ministry care for children living with treatable disabilities. CURE donors help provide services at no cost for families living in poverty.
CURE International is a top-rated non-profit organization.
Copyright 2022
A young girl from Malawi testifies to the goodness of God amid a difficult season.
Dr. Shelley Oliver shares her heart for serving God in a harsh environment.
checkup@cure.org
FEEDBACK! (616) 512-3105 cure.org
CURE International 70 Ionia Ave SW Suite 200 Grand Rapids, MI 49503
CURE International thanks O'Neil Printing for its support in maintaining print industry standards at reduced costs, allowing God's gifts and resources to be faithfully stewarded.
President/CEO, Justin Narducci reflects on God's blessing over the past year.
Changing the world one neurosurgeon at a time.
check∙up noun /’chek-‚əp/
1 a general examination of someone’s or something’s condition
Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must do the works of Him who sent me while it is day…” John 9:3-4
Oftentimes, we pray, volunteer, and give generously to make a difference, and then we go on with our busy lives, not always seeing the impact of what we’ve done. Your trust is important to us, and so it is a blessing for me to share with you this Impact Edition. The stories inside these pages show your impact and how your generosity has changed the lives of children and families in need. It is this very good news of lives transformed and God’s glory displayed that illuminates His goodness.
This Impact Edition highlights your gifts at work in many parts of the world, ushering thousands of people into new possibilities and the reality of God’s promises.
It also highlights kids who have a new smile or who can finally run and live out their full potential. You are part of a growing CURE family whose impact goes beyond the walls of the hospital and extends into families and communities. With each number you see inside these pages, there is a child's story that displays the work of God (John 9:3). In fact, your generosity this year enabled CURE to serve the most children in our history: God’s goodness on display to thousands!
There is a common theme in the stories that are shared with us. One of the realities of having a child with a disability is that it often thrusts the family into crisis. And often, there are questions that follow. Why, God? Why me? How could You allow this? It’s natural to want an explanation, but what God gives us is His goodness. Children learn this at CURE, and they walk out of the hospital with God’s goodness stitched into their bodies and hearts. They carry His goodness back to their villages, schools, and playgrounds and testify, like Mgwayisi in her story (on page 12), “to God be all the glory!”
Thank you for allowing God to use you to make His goodness a tangible reality to many.
DEBBIE STOWELL Editor-In-Chief
CURE International and MedSend are united by a shared vision to bring physical healing and the love of Christ to underserved patients in the most challenging places around the world. Recently, MedSend committed to sponsor two Ethiopian doctors through their five-year pediatric residency program. This is in addition to the five Kenyan physicians they currently support.
MedSend CEO Rick Allen says MedSend is focused on sponsoring the training of national healthcare professionals to build capacity and long-term sustainability: “We have been honored to provide scholarships for national surgeons to be trained through CURE.”
This investment will significantly expand the availability of surgical care in both countries. After residency, each of these specialty-trained surgeons will be able to treat thousands of children and train dozens of other physicians throughout their careers.
Recently, CURE Niger helped equip more than 240 Nigerien women to identify and advocate for children with treatable disabilities. Emanuel Mayaki, Spiritual Director at CURE Niger, shares how mobilizing women is a strategic initiative: “Based on the experience we had in Niger, especially during the mobile clinic, women are able to mobilize more patients to CURE Niger,” Emanuel shares. He says women are “more willing to spend much energy, time, and even some money to get patients referred to CURE.”
Abata, one of the leaders, has already identified many future patients. CURE's training of women as advocates will help find those in need of treatment so surgery can be provided for some of the most vulnerable children in Niger.
Since its founding in 1996, CURE International has been committed to serving children with treatable disabilities by providing them with life-changing surgery and introducing them and their families to the grace and truth of Christ.
This year, CURE is celebrating key spiritual milestones numbers that represent individual lives who have been touched by the goodness of God. These ministry highlights are a testament to God’s love, the generosity of donors, and the staff’s faithful service.
To date, by God’s grace:
• 1.5 million people have been reached with the gospel message
• 250,000 people have made a decision for Christ
“We give our sincere thanks and gratitude to God and to everyone who has supported CURE’s mission over the years,” says Earnest Kioko, CURE Senior Director of Spiritual Ministry.
To find out more about our mission and core values, go to cure.org/about-us
Nigerien women gather to learn how they can assist in seeking out children in need.
To learn more about the hospital in Niger, please visit cure.org/hospitals/niger
The Afters, an award-winning Christian pop rock band, recently visited CURE Malawi.
Together with a team from The Grove (The Afters’ home church in Arizona), lead singer Josh Havens and the band toured the hospital. During their visit, they met the staff and patients, and they witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement between CURE Malawi and Live Love Malawi, an organization founded by pastors at The Grove.
Josh Havens stated, “How cool to witness God’s people come together to help more children in need. It’s such a blessing to be a part of such an important day!” The partnership aims to help more Malawian children with treatable disabilities receive healing through surgery and experience a growing relationship with Christ.
Thirteen years ago, a two-week-old baby named Milan was diagnosed with acquired hydrocephalus, a lifethreatening condition in which fluid builds up inside the child’s brain after birth. With baby Milan’s life on the line, Henry and Carol wasted no time taking their son to CURE Uganda for treatment.
The Afters lead singer, Josh Havens, greets CURE Malawi hospital staff.
The Afters, comprised of Josh Havens, Jordan Mohilowski, Matt Fuqua, and Dan Ostebo, have won GMA Dove Awards and are known for their songs Well Done and I Will Fear No More
The Grove’s lead pastor, Palmer Chinchen, called the visit a “historic day.”
Fast forward to 2022: Milan is a smart, healthy, creative young teen, thanks to the exceptional surgical care he received at CURE Uganda.
BBC News visited CURE Uganda in May to document Milan’s incredible story and to raise awareness of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), an alternative procedure that CURE neurosurgeon Dr. Emmanuel Wegoye chose for Milan back in 2009.
“What’s unique about this treatment is that it provides a shuntless solution for hydrocephalus,” says Dr. Wegoye. “The children do not have any foreign hardware in their bodies.”
Since 2001, CURE Uganda has performed more than 23,300 neurosurgeries across Africa and trained 65 neurosurgeons from around the world on the ETV procedure. During the 2022 fiscal year, surgeons at CURE Uganda performed 1,700 neurosurgeries, 500 of which used the ETV procedure.
Scan to view BBC's visit to CURE Uganda.
A core practice of CURE is to improve the nation's healthcare capacity through the training of local surgeons and medical workers where we have hospitals.
Recently, CURE Ethiopia hosted a week-long training course for 43 clinicians on spine trauma, infection, and childhood spine deformity. Dr. John O’Dowd, a CURE board member and international faculty for AO Alliance, participated in teaching courses on Fracture Classifications and Principles of Spine Trauma Management. Addressing the participants, Dr. Laurence Wicks, national course chair and an orthopedic surgeon at CURE Ethiopia, shared, “The course will push you to develop your own practice and think about how you can train those around you.” He called the clinicians “early adopters” in spinal services and urged them “to work together towards the strategic development of spinal care and ongoing training throughout the region.”
AO Alliance, an organization based in Switzerland, sponsored the course. Its mission is to reduce human suffering, disability, and poverty by strengthening orthopedic trauma care in Africa and Asia.
"This training is a stepping stone to developing the quality and scope of spine treatment at CURE Ethiopia and the whole of Ethiopia.”
- Dr. Laurence Wicks
Against the backdrop of a historic global crisis and ensuing upheavals, in the fiscal year ending June 2022, CURE delivered the most significant impact yet — all by the grace of God and faithful support of ministry partners and friends.
15,131
- Most pediatric surgeries in our 25-year history!
children living with disabilities in the countries that CURE serves
brain surgeries completed - avg cost/brain surgery is $2,000/child
patient, follow-up, and mobile visits (22+% increase)
of children living with disabilities have not heard the Good News of Jesus Christ
people reached with the gospel message
27,588
people made a decision for Christ
church leaders trained in Theology of Disability
ministry partners
biblical counseling sessions with patients and families
Bibles given to families in local languages
to CURE
for
From a life of pain to a new beginning
“
The love, prayers, friendship, and education I have received [at CURE] will ever be remembered. I am a new person. To God be all the glory!” - Mgwayisi
pain
Mgwayisi before her life-changing surgery at CURE Malawi.
Mgwayisi dropped out of school in fourth grade because she could no longer bear the pain – and the shame – caused by a protruding bone in her right leg.
As a vigorous eight-year-old girl, Mgwayisi loved to climb trees. One day she fell hard and broke her shinbone, which caused her right leg to swell and become deformed. Soon the fracture became a severe orthopedic problem.
“That’s how her life changed,” said Tinda, Mgwayisi’s mother. “Everything was not the same anymore.”
Mgwayisi’s family sought medical help from many hospitals and clinics, but the treatments only provided temporary relief. “The doctors cast my leg and there was a little improvement, but a few days later my leg was
swelling up again with so much pain,” Mgwayisi recalled.
The emotional stress was just as overwhelming. Mgwayisi began feeling sorry for herself for quitting school and being away from friends. “Life was painful,” she said.
It was through friends that Mgwayisi’s parents learned about CURE Malawi. They also found out that a CURE mobile clinic was coming to their district hospital to see children with disabilities and identify the ones who could be treated with surgery at CURE Malawi.
Maya from the spiritual team prays with Mywayisi and her mother.
Dr. Nicholas Lubega checks Mywayisi's brace and progress.
Due to past experiences with many hospitals, Mgwayisi didn’t expect much from the CURE mobile clinic. But when she walked into the room to meet the doctors, Mgwayisi said she instantly felt a difference, and she began to hope again.
In October 2019, Mgwayisi had her first operation at CURE Malawi. It took the surgeons six hours to cut Mgwayisi’s bone, realign it, and stabilize it with a metal frame which would correct the broken bone over time. Mgwayisi’s healing journey was slow but sure, involving many prayers, physical therapy sessions, frame adjustments, and additional corrective treatments. But it also saw Mgwayisi become more social, making more friends, and discovering new passions. She even took advantage of the times she was at the hospital to improve her reading and writing skills.
By the end of March 2020, Mgwayisi’s leg had healed enough that she could go back to school and help around the house. Four months later, she was already walking without crutches. Since her time at CURE, Mgwayisi has also grown closer to God. Her mother, Tinda, couldn’t help but give praise to God for the physical healing and spiritual transformation.
“I believe this was a miracle!” exclaimed Tinda. “I have found peace now.”
On January 25, 2021, the doctors successfully removed Mgwayisi’s metal frame, enabling her to walk pain-free for the first time. Finally, her bone was healed!
Mgwayisi said “prayers helped a lot” with how fast she healed. “My family is filled with gladness because of my healing,” she added. “I tell everyone I meet about CURE Malawi.”
Now in seventh grade, Mgwayisi works hard to finish primary school and move closer to her dream of becoming a doctor – undoubtedly inspired by the surgeons and medical staff at CURE Malawi.
“CURE has become more like my home and family,” Mgwayisi stated.“The love, prayers, friendship, and education I have received will ever be remembered. I am a new person. To God be all the glory!”
Mgwayisi after surgery at CURE Malawi.
Scan to learn more about Mgwayisi's journey.
r. Shelley Oliver is the medical director at CURE Niger, the only hospital in a country of 24 million people that offers specialty surgical care for children with treatable physical disabilities. Dr. Shelley says she loves working at CURE “because it’s an organization that proclaims the kingdom of God through the medical activities that we do, so there is a priority in doing kingdom work, not just doing humanitarian aid.” Another big reason, Dr. Shelley adds, is that “CURE is about education and sees that as a long-term objective.”
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Interestingly, while in high school, Dr. Shelley did not want to become a doctor because that's the career all her friends were headed toward and she didn’t want to do what everybody else was doing.
“I went to undergrad at Wheaton College and majored in chemistry and political science. When I was a junior, I did a lot of soulsearching, and God really started to work on my heart, planting a desire to work with children in the developing world. I pursued a position with the State Department while also applying at “When we can address their condition, then their hearts begin to soften. Their perspective changes, and the Lord can work in them.”
medical schools. The door opened for me to go to medical school and closed for me to work with the State Department, so I went to medical school.”
In 2006, Dr. Shelley earned her medical degree from Southern Illinois University. In 2011, she completed her residency in orthopedic surgery at Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners.
Dr. Shelley was a senior medical resident when she first learned of CURE. She completed a month-long international rotation at CURE Kenya, working with Dr. Tim Mead who was then the hospital’s medical director. After the training, Dr. Shelley returned to the United States, completed a sports medicine fellowship, and went on to practice in Colorado. During this time, she became a board-certified surgeon.
After four years in private practice, Dr. Shelley was ready for a new challenge. She contacted Dr. Tim Mead who had moved to be the medical director at Tebow CURE Hospital (TCH) in the Philippines. Dr. Tim offered her a position there as an orthopedic surgeon where she worked for two and half years, leaving just before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
On a practical level, Dr. Shelley says her time in the Philippines served as a training ground, “a season of learning a lot of the pediatric orthopedic techniques and the unique
conditions that we deal with.”
On a spiritual level, she says “it was a time of trusting God and relying on Him.”
Soon after, the opportunity to serve as the medical director at CURE Niger opened for Dr. Shelley. She says her training overseas gave her the confidence to once again serve in a new environment.
CURE Niger has unique challenges, including finding qualified staffing. “Niger is at the bottom of the world development scale, so when you need someone for a certain position, you may or may not be able to find them in Niger
or there may not be very many available.” As a result, CURE Niger has a diverse team from seven different countries.
Dr. Shelley points to God's grace in being able to provide excellent care in spite of all the extra hurdles a multicultural team brings. She reflects on the passage about jars of clay in 2 Corinthians 4 when she says, "Celebrate the Lord. Celebrate His ability to use a team that is the most diverse in the network and celebrate that He gets the work done through an amazing group of cracked pots who couldn't do the work alone."
Always open to new possibilities, Dr. Shelley says one of her biggest hopes is to see West African surgeons
serving in CURE Niger, which, she adds, is not as daunting as it sounds because CURE is committed to “using education as a tool in kingdom-building.” She shares that her biggest reward from working with CURE has been seeing significant heart-change in the lives of the patients, adding that, “We’re able to address a condition that caused a child to be bullied and ostracized from their community. That child has become angry and bitter about [it] because of the rejection they’ve received. When we can address that condition, then their hearts begin to soften. Their perspective changes, and the Lord can work in them.”.
"One of my biggest hopes is to see West African surgeons serving in CURE Niger."
serve even more children from remote regions of the world. Our hospital staff and ministry teams eased into their usual busy routines.
BY JUSTIN NARDUCCI President/CEO
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, the apostle Paul instructs the believers in Thessalonica to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. Why? Because this is how God wants His people to live.
While this commandment is always challenging, it became especially so during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although our hospitals were providing hope and healing to thousands of children, the global suffering related to the pandemic made rejoicing and giving thanks difficult. And yet as we acknowledged God’s presence and purpose amid our collective suffering, we felt His ever-present comfort like never before. Through it all, God proved faithful.
The year 2022 brought with it a return to normalcy and the lifting of travel restrictions, allowing CURE hospitals to
Indeed, 2022 did not disappoint: Never in our ministry’s 26-year history have we seen so many kids
program. Witnessed over 27,000 people make a commitment to follow Jesus. Added seven surgeons to our staff (now numbering 34). We also increased hospital budgets by $3 million so we can treat more children like never before. Received gifts for operational purposes totaling $27.5 million — and capital gifts of $6 million, with commitments now exceeding $20 million.
healed, hopes restored, and hearts brimming with joy and thanksgiving to God.
CURE provided over 15,000 life-changing, world-class, and no-cost surgical procedures to children with treatable disabilities – the most in CURE's history. In 2022, through the provision of God, CURE accomplished the following: Conducted over 90,000 outpatient visits. Shared the gospel with more than 180,000 in communities impacted by CURE's outreach
These numbers are significant to us because they teach us something about God’s providential care. But more than statistics, they represent real people — children, women, and men in hard places touched by the grace of God. Each one of them has a story to tell. Each one matters to us. Likewise, these numbers represent you — our co-laborers in God’s mission of proclaiming and demonstrating His kingdom “to the least of these.”
This is an exciting time at CURE. By God’s grace, the coming years will be far greater than any in our impactful history. Over the next three years, we anticipate capital investments to reach $30 million. This will ensure that we can serve tens of thousands
“Your fingerprints are all over these events. This year, because of your Christlike generosity and commitment, CURE International accomplished more than ever before"
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
of children for generations to come. We commit to stewarding resources to build new facilities, launch better programs, and cultivate more strategic partnerships. And, yes, there will be trials of many kinds. But our God is faithful time and time again. As we look to the future, we do so with humility in our approach and focus on our purpose. We want CURE to be a place where those who suffer from economic poverty, social rejection, and physical disability find hope, love, and healing in Christ Jesus.
As we continue to grow in obedience to our Lord’s invitation to live our days in gladness, prayer, and
“Never in our ministry's history have we seen so many kids healed, hopes restored, and hearts brimming with joy and thanksgiving to God"
thanksgiving — no matter what — we can always count on Him to heal the whole
• performed over 15,000 no-cost surgical procedures
• conducted over 90,000 outpatient visits
person, guide our surgeons, strengthen our ministry teams, bless our donors in every way, and, in the words of the prophet Isaiah (61:3), “… bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
May this be another year that we experience God’s faithfulness through the joys and the sorrows of serving Christ and His beloved children..
To see the results of your participation and donation, go to cure.org/curekids
• shared the gospel with more than 180,000 in communities impacted by CURE's outreach program
• witnessed over 27,000 people make a commitment to follow Jesus
• added seven doctors to our surgical staff
• increased hospital budgets by $3 million
• received operational gifts totaling $27.5 million — and capital gifts of $6 million, with commitments now exceeding $20 million
CUREkids in Ethiopia have fun while healing from surgery.
Highlighting CURE partners who heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God.
Smart, hardworking, and ambitious, Andy Code, a native of Iowa City, and his wife, Sue, moved to Chicago in 1981 where he quickly found success in investment management.
Andy was 21 when he cut his teeth at American National Bank, now J.P. Morgan. At 26, he was working for Citicorp, running half of its leveraged finance group in Chicago. After three years at Citicorp, Andy, just 29, co-founded CHS Capital, a private equity firm. He and his partners raised $82 million and with it bought and acquired companies, quickly turning that initial capital to a whopping $374 million for their investors.
Andy was at the top of his game. He was, as he often
says, “in the race” and doing quite well. And it was just the beginning. When Andy left CHS Capital two decades later, the firm was managing $2.7 billion.
in the lucrative investment industry that he was a part of, it was easy to be swallowed by the current of materialism. “Bigger was better and there was no cap,” Andy says.
While Andy was grateful for his business success, something bothered his spirit. Andy grew up in a family that valued generosity and good stewardship of money. When he was 15 years old, he made the biggest decision of his life — to be a follower of Jesus. And yet
Andy knew it was a worldview that ran counter to his Christian faith. As a parent to two young boys, Andy says he was so afraid that his children would grow up not knowing what life was like for the rest of the world — people who live on $2 a day, exploited women, and children with disabilities.
So with a fresh purpose, Andy founded The Code Family Foundation in 1997 to fund causes that support healthcare, education, compassion, and evangelism.
In 2001, when Sue and Andy’s sons were in their pre-teens, the family traveled to Honduras for the first time. They stayed at a hotel where hot water was inconsistent, they slept on plastic sheets, and there were cockroaches everywhere. “But the boys loved it,” Andy says. “They realized there were currencies other than cash — the currency of humans doing life together.”
This led Andy and Sue to intentionally incorporate mission into every family vacation trip they took. Both sons (Adam and David), now
in their 30s with children of their own, and actively involved in the Foundation alongside their wives, have since traveled many times over to some of the world’s hardest places. Andy believes the seeds of compassion and generosity that were planted in their hearts will continue to grow to impact the generations to come.
Andy and Sue were introduced to CURE International Children’s Hospitals at an annual fundraising event held in Scottsdale, Arizona, 15 years ago. Andy met CURE founder Dr. Scott Harrison who presented him the opportunity to help fund the training of neurosurgeons in Mbale at CURE Uganda.
“
The motivation is all God — that He has softened our hearts and pointed us to a direction where He can use our resources for good.”
- Andy CodeAndy and Sue Code at the Grand Opening of the Code High School in Kampala, Uganda. David Code visiting a mother and her infant with hydrocephalus.
“We thought it was great that surgeons could get training and go back to their own countries to save lives,” says Andy. It was the kind of investment that Andy didn’t want to pass up. The Code Family Foundation donated $1 million and committed to partner with CURE for the next 10 years. They have since generously continued to support the training of surgeons specializing in endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), an alternative treatment for hydrocephalus.
In 2008, motivated by a passion for effective stewardship and impactful investment, Andy cofounded Promus, a Chicago-based multifamily office. From the get-go, Andy has leveraged his business smarts and gift for building relationships to introduce business partners, friends, and family members to the joy of giving and to be a part of the healing work of God. In particular, a family trip to CURE Uganda in 2014 left an indelible mark on the hearts of Andy, Sue, and their sons. They were visiting for the first time with a pastor friend and his wife. Andy recalls walking
into the ward of the hospital and seeing children with hydrocephalus.
"We were blown away to see kids who have water in their brain and hear stories of children being discarded into the rivers because of their condition. It was so overwhelming you could hardly respond." Andy says every visit he took with many others in places like Haiti, Honduras, and sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in them experiencing God's grace and purposes on a deeper level.
“God has gifted me with affluence and influence to be His hands and feet in this difficult world,” Andy shares. “The motivation is all God — that He has softened our hearts and pointed us to a direction where He can use our resources for good.”
Andy believes everyone has a gift to share. Just as parents instinctively feel a responsibility to take care of their children, Andy says his part in taking care of God’s family is to provide financial resources so that others can do their part. He says, “To be able to help build the capacity of CURE and its surgeons, that’s the part I can fulfill. I think that completes the circle and gives me the feeling that I am faithful in a small way.”
After a hospital makes a request for equipment, our team seeks donations, and purchases the highest quality items for the best price.
Once items arrive, they are entered into our inventory system, inspected by our biomed technicians, and carefully packed for shipping.
Containers and pallets are loaded onto trucks. Contents are then transferred to rail cars and sent to a seaport.
After U.S. customs inspection, containers are loaded onto sea vessels. The whole process is overseen by CURE logistics personnel.
When containers arrive at the destination port, tariffs are paid and the shipment has a stringent inspection by local authorities.
After being delivered by contracted trucks to the hospital, CURE staff unpacks the equipment, and once it is installed, hospitals conduct biomedical training for local staff.
treatment for kids
You can change the lives of children in urgent need of physical healing and the love of Jesus.
With your help, mission critical equipment can be provided to CURE hospitals right away. Scan the QR code or visit cure.org.
Rose, age 8, before surgery Rose after surgery