Maree Fundraising Program

On June 20, 2008, a fundraising program was started with the help of Wikimusicguide.com, Magazinesubscriptions.ws and WebbyShop.com. The Maree Fund is the program initiated for the benefit of a six year-old girl named Jerthrude Maree Sarmiento who was diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect and urgently needs surgery the soonest possible time. Their objective is to raise $5,000 in 30days.

Atrial Septal Defect, (ASD) normally referred to as the "hole", is a congenital heart ailment where the wall in the heart had a partial closure. The only way to treat this type of heart condition is through an open-heart surgery. Untreated closure may lead to life-threatening complications such as pulmonary hypertension (may also cause permanent damage to the lungs), increase the threat of stroke and heart malfunction. Once the hole has been closed, further surgical treatment is unlikely to occur. Atrial Septal Defect, for unidentified explanation, affects girls twice as much as boys who are born with congenital heart ailment. As soon as the hole is closed, the person who is suffering from it will live a normal, healthy life. He/She would be able to do usual stuffs like playing sports, exercise and other physical activities that they can't do before because of ASD.

Jerthrude Maree Sarmiento, born on February 6, 2002, was diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect on March, 2004. Though it was detected when she was just 2 years old, the surgical treatment was delayed due to lack of money. With her recent check up made this 6th of June, 2008, her 2Dechocardiogram result showed that pulmonary hypertension is beginning to form and if the heart operation won't be performed soon, then it might be too late. There is no specific time frame on how fast the pressure in her lungs will increase. The only sure thing is that the higher the pressure, the higher the risk of irreparable damage may occur that even surgical procedure can't correct.

That's why Wikimusicguide.com, Magazinesubscriptions.ws and WebbyShop.com came up with the Maree Fund to help this little girl live a better life. They are determined to reach their goal in 30 days to help this child with her surgery. Each online site has its own way of promoting their cause.

Wikimusicguide is giving away CDs to those who will contribute any amount to the Maree Fund. All supporters will get a chance to win a CD of their choice. Winners will be picked via electronic raffle at the end of the fundraising program and will be posted at their website.
WebbyShop is offering 5% savings on all their Magic Sing products and accessories. Same promo goes with their Magazine Subscriptions (US only), where subscribers will get 5% savings on all subscriptions. All proceeds of WebbyShop's Magic Sing and Magazine Subscriptions will go straight to the Maree Fund to help pay for this little girl's operation.

Everyone has been working real hard for this fundraising program. Since its launch, the donations came pouring in. It only shows that there are still good Samaritans out there who are willing to give help to save a child's life.