Mattana is an only child and lives with her parents in Kampong Speu province in Cambodia. Her parents are rice farmers. She enjoys watching TV and eating homemade soup prepared by her mother. Mattana was born with cerebral palsy, which affects her ability to move around and requires her to use a wheelchair. Cerebral palsy can make muscles and tendons tight. This tightness shortens the muscles and tendons over time. It can cause pain and create abnormalities in the tendons and muscles, affecting mobility. Using a wheelchair also increases her risk of pressure sores on her skin. In addition to her mobility challenges, she has a learning disability, is primarily non-verbal, and does not attend school. Because Mattana's condition is difficult to treat, she was referred by a national children's hospital to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. Surgeons have determined that she would benefit from correction of her muscle spasticity - the abnormal increase in muscle tone or stiffness of muscle. This will eventually help her to stand and walk. On March 5th, Mattana will undergo an ankle, calf, hamstring, and Achilles tendon lengthening. Mattana's parents now need help with the cost of the $572 procedure. After surgery, they hope she can increase her range of motion, reduce pain, and make sitting, standing, and walking more comfortable. Mattana's mother said: "I hope my daughter feels better after surgery and can go to school like other children."

Yabsra is a 7-year-old student from Ethiopia. He is outgoing, intelligent, active, and excels in school and football. Yabsra is an only child and lives with his mother. She farms a small piece of land and sells tea to make ends meet but shared that her income is insufficient to meet her family’s expenses and medical bills. Yabsra was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction and the future risk of infertility. Due to financial constraints, his mother was unable to afford surgery for Yabsra before now, which caused her great sadness and distress. She continued to visit various hospitals and learned about our medical partner. Nervous about the journey, Yabsra and his mother were able to travel with three other patients to our medical partner’s hospital. Fortunately, our medical partner is able to help Yabsra receive treatment. On February 13th, he will undergo corrective surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Yabsra’s mom said, “I hope he will heal, become educated, and lead a good and quality life. When I ask him, ‘What do you want to be?’ the answer is a doctor. When I ask him why, he says: ‘I want to heal people who are sick.’ I wish to see that his dreams come true.”

Thaw is a two-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his parents and elder sister in Zee Kone Village, but his family migrated to Thailand four months ago to seek better job opportunities. His father works as an agricultural day labourer, while his mother is a homemaker. Thaw’s elder brother and sister take turns working as agricultural day labourers. Thaw’s mother carefully manages their income, and their combined family income is enough to cover their daily basic expenses. Thaw receives free healthcare services at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). On 2 July 2021, Thaw was born through emergency caesarean section. His mother noticed on the following day, while cleaning Thaw’s body, that he was born with a worrying condition that makes it challenging to go to the bathroom. Thaw’s mother immediately informed the doctor, who then referred Thaw to hospital in Ayeyarwady Division. Unfortunately, due to a lack of facilities, he did not receive the necessary treatment at this hospital. He was subsequently recommended to go to Yangon Hospital. However, due to financial limitations, Thaw’s mother could not afford to take him to Yangon Hospital, leading her to cease efforts to seek Thaw’s treatment. Fortunately, Thaw was able to defecate through a fistula however Thaw began to experience troubling symptoms, including at present, Thaw is passing stool through the fistula, experiencing constipation with bowel movements occurring every four or five days, with a distended abdomen. Thaw has been diagnosed with imperforate anus with fistula and his doctors recommend a colostomy. A colostomy is a surgery that creates an opening for the colon through the abdomen. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1500 to fund Thaw's surgery at Mae Sot General Hospital scheduled January 31st. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully alleviate him symptoms. Thaw’s mother expressed her concerns saying, “I want my son to have a healthy, long life. I was always worried about him, and he couldn’t receive treatment due to lack of money. Now, with the help of BCMF and donors, he can undergo surgery. Thank you."