Romeo is a physically active father from the Philippines. Romeo currently lives with his wife since all their children already have their own families. They rely on Romeo's monthly pension which is just enough for their daily needs. Their children chip in for their expenses too but as a father, Romeo wants them to use the money for their own families instead of giving it to him and his wife. Romeo loves to play chess, jog, and play tennis. However, his symptoms now physically limit him. Last November, Romeo won a consolation prize of a sack of rice at a community raffle. When he lifted it, he felt pain but ignored it thinking about how happy his wife will be upon bringing home the prize. Since then, Romeo has dealt with inguinal hernia. This hernia causes him to feel weak and because of his condition, he cannot do physical activities like he used to. Fortunately, on February 16th, Romeo will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center, Our Lady of Peace Hospital. A portion of the cost of Romeo's treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. Our medical partner is raising the remaining $1,103 to cover the cost of his surgery and care. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Romeo shared: "My pension will never be enough to pay for a surgery to treat me. So thank you very much for helping me even though I am already old."

Chisuka is a widow who lost her husband in February 2023. Chisuka has never had a child of her own but has been keeping three orphans aged 15, 10, and 6 years old for her late sister who passed on 5 years ago. Her husband had lost his first wife 30 years ago who left a 6-year-old son who has been brought up by Chisuka until now. He is a soldier who is married with one child. Chisuka and her late husband loved these orphans and brought them up like their own before death separated them. Chisuka shared that a month after losing her husband, she was chased out of her main house and most of her belongings were taken by her in-laws. Chisuka is now in the boys’ quarter together with her children while the main house is rented but the money is not shared with her. Her stepson withdrew his support after the death of his father. Chisuka started selling groundnut flour for a living. She likes praying and encouraging her children to work hard at school since life has changed for the worse. Chisuka was well until three years ago when she started experiencing cramping abdominal pains and felt a hard mass on the left side of her abdomen. Chisuka has been to different hospitals without much improvement. Of late Chisuka has had overwhelming abdominal pains, bleeding tendencies, loss of appetite leading to loss of weight, a lot of discomforts leading to more stress, weakness, and general body pain. On 24th January, Chisuka was booked and seen by the gynecologist at our medical partner's care center PIH who confirmed the diagnosis of multiple uterine fibroids through an ultrasound scan. She was notified about the need for a surgical intervention called total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) which is the removal of the uterus, including the cervix. Chisuka was then referred to the Watsi program due to her financial status. She is contributing what she can and needs help raising $1,363 to fund her surgery. Fibroids are abnormal growths that develop in a woman's uterus. Fibroids might become quite large leading to severe abdominal pain and heavy bleeding. If left untreated, fibroids continue to grow, both in size and number worsening the symptoms; the heavy bleeding may become worse causing anemia which may be fatal. After the surgery, it is expected that Chisuka will stop having unbearable abdominal pains and heavy bleeding and will continue taking care of her late sister’s children and living a more comfortable life. Chisuka, with tears in her eyes, said, “Please help me, I have faced more than I could, and now I need a breather and a comfortable life to let me render support to my children.”

Cyrus is an energetic young boy from Kenya. He completed his national exam last month. Cyrus is the 2nd born of a family of five children. The 1st born is 17 years, while the last born is in grade 2. His mom is a single parent, who is currently unemployed and working small jobs that she can get to make ends meet. She has been taking care of the five children by herself with no consistent source of income. He lives in single rental room which they pay $15 per month. His mother was referred to our medical partner's BethanyKids Hospital by a local doctor in a nearby facility to correct the condition. They came to BethanyKids and the doctor examined him, he has recommended surgery. This surgery will enable him to live a normal life like other children urinating properly. Cyrus was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of cancer and infertility. Fortunately, Cyrus is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on December 4th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $847 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Cyrus's mother says, “This condition will affect his self-esteem. He already feels low and sad because of the condition.”