Brian is a teenager from Kenya. He is the third born in a family of seven children. He stopped going to school last year in March after he fell ill and currently stays at home mostly in pain. His mother is a subsistence farmer and his father works on construction sites to provide for the family. The family does not have a medical insurance coverage and cannot raise the required amount of money to pay for Brian's treatment. Brian has a painful swelling in a sensitive area which impacts his movement and his ability to engage in any physical activities. He has been to different hospitals without any improvement. Earlier this year, Brian was brought to BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital where he underwent tests and has been scheduled for an urgent surgery. Brian was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Brian has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and future fertility problems. Brian will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH) and is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on February 22nd. AMH is requesting $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Brian says, “I want the pain to go away so that I can go back to school.”

Sineth is an 18-year-old plantation worker from Cambodia. He lives with his family in Kampong Cham province and works on a coconut plantation. Sineth and his family extract and boil coconut meat to produce coconut oil for sale. In the evenings, he enjoys playing soccer with other workers. In July 2023, he was involved in a traffic collision on a motorbike. He fell on his left shoulder and hit his head hard, losing consciousness. When he awoke, he was unable to move his left arm and had a fracture of his right wrist. He has been diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury on his left side. The brachial plexus is a nerve network that transmits signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries to this nerve network can result in loss of function and sensation. He has no movement of his arm, along with pain, numbness, and lack of muscle control. Sineth traveled to Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre to receive treatment. This is the only center in the whole country where this treatment is available. On April 26th, he will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. After recovery, he hopes to have use of his left arm again. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $709 to fund this procedure. Sineth said, "I hope the doctors can fix my arm so I can use it to work and help support my parents."

Faith is a 24-year-old woman from the Rift valley in Kenya who has had epilepsy since 2018. On December 15th, 2023 she had a convulsive episode and fell on an open flame in her kitchen. She sustained third degree burns on her right arm and was rushed to the nearest hospital. She was admitted for three days and received IV fluids, pain medication, and wound care before going home. Since her injuries did not improve, she went to Kapsowar Hospital and was diagnosed with third degree burns from her right elbow to her hand. She had no sensation in her forearm and fingers, no range of motion of the wrist and elbow, and was experiencing discharge and swelling. She also had exposed tendons and blood clots. Faith was scheduled for a procedure to remove the dead tissue from her arm, then for amputation of her second, third, fourth and fifth fingers in order to salvage the hand. At this point, it was determined she needed a further procedure and skin graft of her arm, along with major reconstruction in order to promote healing. Faith is the youngest in a family of six children. She could not finish her schooling due her epilepsy. Her parents are farmers working on two acres of land growing maize, beans and potatoes to provide for the needs of their children. Faith is not insured since she is over age and not covered by parents’ insurance. Her parents are unable to afford Faith's surgery and they thought she would be covered by the insurance. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,089 to fund Faith's surgery. Faith said, “I have been in a lot of pain especially when having daily dressing changes, please help me so that I get well soon and be free from this pain.”