What Every Parent Wants – The 44-Cent Cure

Every parent knows what it’s like to care for a sick child—the uncertainty, the frustration, even the fear.

For me, what always gets me is the moment I realize I can’t comfort my son. Or when he complains about something that I can’t possibly solve on my own. It’s heartbreaking because I want to be his protector, his hero, and make everything right again.

Most parents would gladly trade places with a sick child. And this is Alexi’s lament right now.

“When my son gets sick, it’s like I am sick too,” he says as his little boy sits quietly on his knee.

Lew is Alexi’s youngest (and sickest) son. All his children have been sick at one time or another, and all with the same symptoms—severe diarrhea, constant nausea, horrible stomach pain. This father is very familiar with effects of intestinal worms, some of which come and go, but Lew’s problems are persistent. And the worms are refusing to move.

“He’s really suffering right now,” Alexi tells me. “If it’s not the pain in his tummy, it’s the fevers. It’s one or the other and I don’t know what to do.”

This father of six lives in Haiti, high up in the hills and far removed from anything we would describe as livable. There is no medical clinic in this village, not even running water. There are no faucets. No flushing toilets. No place to bathe.

This is why Lew is so sick. The dirty water and unsanitary conditions are the perfect breeding ground for parasites. These nasty worms are now multiplying in Lew’s belly and sapping all the nutrients from his tiny body. The cure for this horrible condition?

A miracle pill that costs just 44 cents. 

But Alexi can’t afford it, and that was the reason I was visiting him. Thanks to the generosity of donors, World Concern is distributing these life-changing tablets to hundreds of sick Haitian kids.

How the 44-Cent Cure Saves Lives

The 44-Cent-Cure is the most cost-effective solution to poverty’s biggest problem.

Within days of taking the pill the worms are dead, Lew is cured, nutrients are being absorbed back into his body and he’s able to return to school and enjoy life as a happy, healthy child.

Alexi is a farmer, or at least was until Hurricane Matthew destroyed his crops.

Now, Alexi survives day-to-day, working odd jobs to scrape together enough money for the occasional meal and to send his kids to school. He’s planted some corn and some grain, but the plants are not even close to harvest yet.

So this single father does what he can and puts on a brave face. Yet he admits even this is getting harder and harder to do. Especially since Lew has been so sick.

“I am responsible for him and have no time to cry,” he whispers, not wanting his son to hear how difficult things are. “I must work.”

After a few days, the pill that we gave Lew killed all the worms in his belly. His fevers are now gone. The nausea and diarrhea are gone. And Alexi is able to return to work.

All because of a pill that costs less than 2 quarters.

Alexi and I have something in common. We are both dads and dearly love our kids. We love Jesus. We both work. And we both want our families to be healthy.

I had the opportunity to pray with Alexi last month. Will you join us in praying for the families in Haiti who need your help?

After praying together, Alexi and I shook hands. And that’s when his story really hit home for me. Our hands could not have been more different.  His are strong; his palms calloused and his fingers tough and weathered. Mine are the exact opposite. We have lived vastly different lives.

The biggest difference though? I am in a position to help. To learn more about how you can give the 44-cent cure and help cure a child, click here. 

Incarcerated women help stamp out parasites

Almost every day at World Concern, we see this principle: “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” (Acts 20:35) have an impact on the lives of our supporters.

A letter and stamps from the women at Dawson State Jail.
Women at Dawson State Jail send postage stamps in support of the 44-Cent Cure.

Recently we received an amazing letter from a woman named Jennifer in Dawson State Jail in Dallas, Texas. One day, she was exercising and listening to KLTY 94.9 FM and heard about the 44-Cent Cure.

“As a mom, my heart went out as a 13-year-old boy told about being so ill, his parents thought he would die,” she wrote. “I couldn’t believe my ears. Forty-four cents? For the cost of a stamp I could provide medicine to cure a child of parasites?”

Unable to send money for obvious reasons, Jennifer realized she could still help, by giving of what she had – postage stamps. She asked other women in her dorm if they’d like to participate and many were excited to be able to make a difference in the lives of children around the world.

“We’ve named our project ‘Stamp Out Parasites’ (Prison Project) – S.O.P.3 – three like the Trinity,” wrote Jennifer. “Already we have shared this idea with others both in the world and on other units. You will be able to expect other donations in the name of S.O.P.3

This letter reminded me of when Jesus praised a widow for her offering in Mark 12:44.

kenyan children
Poor children, like these in Kenya, are often infected with parasites that make them sick. A child can be cured for the cost of a postage stamp.

“They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Jennifer has since moved on from this dorm, but the women there are continuing her legacy. They’re sending stamps and even volunteering their time to hand-write thank you notes to our donors.

Anyone can give, regardless of their situation. And when we do, we’re blessed in return.

Learn more about the 44-Cent Cure at www.worldconcern.org/curekids.

One mom’s crusade to kill worms

Chelsi and Brookelyn
Chelsi Wylie and her daughter Brookelyn support the 44-Cent Cure after their own experience with intestinal parasites.

Chelsi Wylie is passionate about supporting the 44-Cent Cure. She has seen first-hand the painful effects intestinal parasites can have on a child.

Her daughter Brookelyn developed a scaly spot on her scalp when she was 2 years old. Her pediatrician thought it might be psoriasis or ringworm, but when it spread to the size of a baseball and Brookelyn’s hair started to fall out, Chelsi knew something was wrong.

“She would cry and scream when I brushed her hair. It was so painful,” recalled Chelsi, who took Brookelyn to a dermatologist, but still had no answer. The pain went on for months, until finally Brookelyn was diagnosed with pinworms – a common form of intestinal parasites.

“I didn’t realize you could get worms here,” said Chelsi. “I thought that was a third world problem.”

After receiving treatment, Brookelyn was cured.

Recently, Chelsi heard about the 44-Cent Cure on KLTY 94.9 FM in Dallas and learned how World Concern is helping cure children in poor countries from parasites that deplete their bodies of nutrients and make them too sick and lethargic to attend school. The cure costs just 44 cents.

“I have to get involved in this,” Chelsi told her husband, who agreed. “After all Brookelyn suffered, we don’t want any other children to suffer like this.”

Chelsi asked her friends and family to support the 44-Cent Cure last Christmas and raised $650 – that’s enough to cure more than 1,400 children! Now, she’s planning fundraisers at her church and in her hometown.

Thankfully, Brookelyn is now a healthy 5-year-old. “We’re fortunate to live where we have access to healthcare, clean water, and a place to go to the bathroom,” said Chelsi. “But people are suffering all over the world.”

Join Chelsi in this cause! Every 44 cents you donate cures one child.