Four-year-old Sofia knew something was wrong. Sofia’s mother, Marta, was doing her best to cover her condition and manage the pain on her own. But the severe headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision from brain cancer were impossible to hide forever. Marta’s treatment options were limited in her rural DominicanRepublic community.

She consulted a doctor and knew the problem, but transportation to the hospital and ongoing consultation with doctors were costly on their own—let alone the cost of medicine without health insurance. Yet she was determined to survive for Sofia’s sake.

News of Marta’s story reached Dr. Miguel, an oncologist in La Romana, who recently received a shipment of chemotherapy drugs from CMMB’s Medical Donations Program. This additional stock was delivered as part of a larger donation sent to supply health facilities in seven municipalities intheDominicanRepublic earlier this year, and allowed him to prescribe the medication free of charge for those in need.

This lifesaving drug is being used to fight brain tumors and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. So far, 234 cancer patients, including people like Marta and Haitian immigrants who have fled violence intheir own country, have received these free treatments.

Drawing on strength from her family and community, Marta is fighting this deadly disease, and her tumor is expected to shrink over time. Thanks to your support, Marta and Sofia have a newfound hope for their future.