MEXICO – For 12-year-old Milagros, known affectionately as Mili, every day brought a new battle with pain. In her small community of Emiliano Zapata, she fought through severe abdominal trouble in Mexico. It threatened not only her health, but also her dreams of becoming a veterinarian.
Suffering with Severe Gallstones
The diagnosis was clear: severe gallstones that required immediate surgery. But with costs exceeding $15,000, the procedure seemed impossibly out of reach. For six long months, Mili endured the severe pain, unable to enjoy simple pleasures like milk, cheese, or beans. Her education hung in the balance as the condition threatened to force her to drop out of her first year of secondary school.
“I had to leave my job at the restaurant to find work closer to home,” her mother Blanca recalls. As a single mother, she struggled to care for Mili while watching medical bills pile up. “The medications alone cost 400 to 600 pesos each month.”
And that’s when your love reached across borders to change everything. Through your compassion, Operation Blessing’s Life-Changing Surgery team stepped in to provide the miracle Mili and her mother had been praying for.
Life-Changing Surgery Marathon
Through an Operation Blessing surgery marathon made possible by caring friends like you, Mili became one of 15 precious children—along with Isaac and Jose—to receive life-changing operations. These surgical marathons put love into action, bringing critical care to those who need it most. From heart surgeries in El Salvador to cataract procedures in South Africa and India, your generosity ensures that healing reaches every corner of the globe.
Each marathon is carefully orchestrated to help as many children and adults as possible in the way they need it most. Working alongside local doctors and health facilities, we ensure not only successful operations but also quality follow-up care that sets each patient up for success.
Healed from Severe Gallstones
The impact of your kindness reaches far beyond the operating room. Just two months after her surgery for severe gallstones, Mili was back to playing with her beloved pets and enjoying her favorite foods again. The severe abdominal trouble is gone. Just look at that smile! She’s ready to chase her dreams once more.
“After receiving the surgery, both Mili and I are very grateful to Operation Blessing and the people who supported her,” Blanca shared. For her and countless other families whose lives have been transformed through the gift of surgery, having a friend like you means everything.
“After receiving the surgery, both Mili and I are very grateful to Operation Blessing and the people who supported her.”
-Blanca
Your compassion doesn’t just provide medical procedures—it restores dignity, enables independence, and strengthens families. For many, these surgeries mean the difference between a life of limitation and one full of possibility. Thank you for being the miracle that families like Mili’s have been praying for. Through your generosity, you’re not just changing lives—you’re transforming entire futures, one surgery at a time.
