Despite nearly two decades of promising economic growth in the Dominican Republic (DR), not everyone has benefited. Poverty remains, and many people are unable to afford the medicines they need. For patients with life-threatening conditions like cancer, the struggle to pay for critical treatment is especially dire. CMMB works with trusted partners, like Cross Catholic Outreach, to deliver quality medication and medical supplies to vulnerable communities in the DR and around the world. United by our faith and our mission, we donated $28.14M worth of medicines and medical supplies to health facility partners in three countries in fiscal year 2024.

With these donations, our local partners, like Fundación Hospital General El Buen Samaritano in the DR, can provide the medications their patients need—free of charge. Community health programs further expand our reach in the DR, bringing medications where they are needed most, including to the many Haitian immigrants who have fled violence in their own country.

Between July and September 2024, CMMB’s Medical Donations Program and Cross Catholic Outreach sent two shipments of donations to our partners in DR and El Salvador. Combined, the shipments included 35 cases and packs of medical supplies and 92,300 bottles and packs of medicine. These donations also included a cancer treatment prescription medication—a delivery that came just in time for one beloved grandfather in the DR.

Serafin’s Story: From Worry to Relief

Serafin Santos Abreu, a 67-year-old living in Constanza, DR, worked as a heavy vehicle driver, proudly providing for his wife and their three children. But then hardship struck.

Five years ago, his beloved wife died, devastating his close-knit family. Two years later, Serafin was diagnosed with skin cancer. Now, he lives with his 23-year-old grandson, whom he helped raise. His daughter lives nearby and accompanies Serafin to his medical appointments for skin cancer and hypertension.

Unable to work due to his health conditions, the longtime provider relies on his family’s support for everything—from his meals to his medication. Serafin is surrounded by a loving family and fortified by his faith in God. But he worries about his health—and that his expensive medical care may destroy his family’s financial security.

Recently, that concern turned to alarm. Serafin faced serious health complications and was admitted to the intensive care unit at Fundación Hospital General El Buen Samaritano for a week of treatment. His doctors told him he needed to start taking Sunitinib Malate, a cancer medication that slows tumor growth. Serafin and his family felt terrible anxiety. How could they afford this medicine?

Fortunately, thanks to CMMB and Cross Catholic Outreach, Serafin’s doctors not only had the medication Serafin needed in stock, but they were also able to provide it to him at no cost.

Serafin is back home with his grandson and continuing his cancer treatment. As he fights to be cancer-free, Serafin is filled with gratitude for his medication. And he is relieved that his family’s financial future remains secure.

“I am very grateful to God and to all the people who have helped us obtain this medication, because, although my children make great sacrifices, it sometimes becomes very difficult to acquire my medicines,” Serafin said.

Thank you for your partnership, Cross Catholic Outreach. With your support, more people like Serafin have access to lifesaving medication—and more families have hope for their future.