Demetria is a peanut-butter maker from the Philippines. Demetria was diagnosed with cholecystitis 10 years ago and advised by her doctor to undergo surgery, but due to financial constraints, she opted to self-medicate using herbal medicines. This served as a temporary relief to her symptoms, but now these have worsened over time, and during the past 2 weeks, she started experiencing intolerable pain and difficulty keeping food down. With age and her worsening symptoms, Demetria is not capable of earning income to support her medical treatment. She shared that she and her husband rely on their granddaughter who works as an online tutor, to support their daily needs. Fortunately, Demetria was referred to our medical partner and is now scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on April 7th. Our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is requesting $1,253 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. After her recovery, Demetria will no longer experience severe pain in her abdomen or be at risk of other complications in the future. “Once the surgery is done, I hope to go back to doing my small peanut butter-making business so I can help sustain our daily needs like I used to before," Demetria shared. "Thank you so much WSFP and Watsi for all your help,” she added.

Said is a talkative, friendly and playful 4-year-old boy who loves to play football and to watch movies. Said's family consists of three other siblings, his mother, who is a housewife, and his father, who is a day laborer getting work whenever he can. Because of a medical condition, Said's legs bow outward and his knees don't touch, which caused difficulty walking. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting $880 to fund a procedure that will take place on April 22nd to restore Said's mobility. This treatment will enable him to participate in a variety of activities as he grows and also decrease his risk for future complications. Said’s mother says, “The economy is not good and finding work is getting hard. The little money I get goes to food. If you can help my son have this treatment, I would be very grateful.”

Nereah is a beautiful four-year-old girl. Nereah is the firstborn in a family of two and likes to play a lot, which makes her parents very happy to see. At the moment, she has started preschool. Nereah’s mother is a homemaker, while her father is a laborer at road construction sites whenever he can get the work. They have had National Health Insurance in the past, but now to reactivate they are were required to pay upfront for one year, which they could not afford. Fortunately, the Nazareth Hospital Reception team identified their significant need and referred them to our medical partner's representative at the hospital. As Nereah's parents cannot afford the surgery, they need help raising $565 for her care. According to her mother, Nereah’s condition started when she was about three weeks old, but her mother did not realize it was a problem until about one year ago. She has been having frequent nose blockage and needs to breathe through her mouth especially at night, as well as as frequent common colds and swelling of her tonsils. Despite getting various types of medication, there has not been improvement. A scan showed adenoid-palatine hypertrophy, and the ENT team has advised surgery to solve her condition. If not treated, Nereah will continue suffering from symptoms and may have further complications like middle ear infections and sleeping disorders. “We have been waiting and hoping insurance would approve our surgical request, but now we don’t know what to do. We hope her surgery could be sponsored so that our daughter can get treated and stop suffering at night,” said Nereah’s mother.

Thorn is a 73-year-old retired rice farmer with five sons and 30 grandchildren.Thorn likes to go to the pagoda and listen to the monks pray. About one year ago, Thorn developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him photophobia and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on his own. When Thorn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On May 3rd, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Thorn says, "I hope after surgery my vision can improve."

Vireak is an active nine-year-old boy. He is in the third grade and has one younger sister who is not yet in school. His parents are cashew farmers. Vireak likes reading books from school and helping his mother with housework when he isn't studying or playing with his friends. For the past several months,, Vireak has been experiencing difficulty swallowing when he eats, and has difficulty breathing at night. He has frequent fevers and sore throats, which have not improved with local medical treatment. He feels poorly and misses school, doesn't want to eat, and has trouble breathing well at night. Vireak was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Vireak, which is scheduled to take place on May 3rd. Vireak's parents have helped to raise $37 towards his surgery where surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Vireak of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. Vireak says, "I hope I will feel better and can swallow, breathe better, and stop having throat infections."

Nary is a 68-year-old loving grandmother. Because Nary's husband passed away many years ago, she now lives with her youngest daughter, who works at a grocery store. Nary has two daughters, four sons and 13 grandchildren. She likes to listen to the monks pray on the radio and enjoys reading Buddhist books. Three years ago, Nary developed a cataract in her left eye, which causes tearing and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is unable to go places on her own. Nary traveled to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, to seek help. On May 10th doctors will perform cataract surgery, and implant an intraocular lens in her left eye. After recovery, Nary will be able to see clearly again, enabling her to go out and about independently. Now, she is raising $253 to fund her procedure. Nary shared: "I hope I can see clearly again so I can help my daughter do housework and read my books."

Geradina is a farmer and a mother of eight children. Geradina's husband passed away in 2011, which meant Geradina became the sole provider for their children still living at home. She works on the farm to make ends meet, but her medical condition often makes this work challenging. Geradina has experienced swelling for the past eight years and was scheduled to undergo a procedure in March but could not make the appointment due to the transportation fees. She was recently able to gather the money needed to visit the hospital again. Upon review, doctors diagnosed her condition as a cystocele and recommended she undergo uterine prolapse repair surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help Geradina finally heal. On May 17th, she will undergo surgery that will allow her to lead a more comfortable life. AMH is requesting $220 to fund this treatment. Geradina says, “I will be very happy when this condition is relived from me as I had given up on myself due to lack of money for treatment. I look forward to resuming with farming since it’s my source of livelihood.”

Tola is a 34-year-old with a younger brother and a younger sister. Tola's father works as a tuk tuk driver, and his mother sells vegetables at the market. In his free time, Tola enjoys playing football, drinking coffee with his friends, and reading the news. Tola was in a traffic accident last February that caused fractures to his right arm. He underwent fracture repair surgery at a local hospital, but even after the wound healed, he still cannot move his right wrist. He visited our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for help. Fortunately, on June 7th, surgeons at CSC will perform a tendon transfer procedure so he can regain use of his right arm. CSC is requesting $572 to fund this procedure. Tola was able to gather $100 to contribute to his medical care. Tola says, "I hope I can move my arm again after surgery, so I can return to work and support myself."

Eva is a hardworking elderly farmer. She has worked as a farmer for most of her adult life, mainly working to grow bananas. She is a mother of 7 children and unfortunately lost her husband to Covid-19. For the past three years, Eva has had a lump on her left collarbone area. This mass causes her pain and affects her day-to-day work, including farming. After visiting a hospital for review, she was recommend to have surgery. Eva traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On July 5th, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Eva needs help to raise $137 to fund this procedure. Eva shares, “When I am given a chance to undergo my surgery under your support, I hope to get better and to continue with farming to sustain my family.”

Alejandro is a tech-savvy 11-year-old boy from western Bolivia who just finished fifth grade. He loves everything related to computers and video games. He lives with his parents, who are both schoolteachers, and his two younger brothers. Alejandro was born with a ventricular septal defect, a cardiac condition in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of the heart. Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him feeling weak and short of breath. Fortunately, Alejandro is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on July 27th with the support of our long-standing medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance, which is now growing and expanding into Bolivia. Surgeons will close the hole with a patch, allowing blood to properly flow through his body and improving his quality of life. Another organization, Gift of Life International, is contributing $2,500 to pay for a portion of Alejandro's procedure costs. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to cover the remaining costs, which cover surgical expenses, cardiac exams, medications, and travel fees so Alejandro and his family can travel to receive his life-changing cardiac procedure in La Paz. Alejandro shares, "I am excited to be allowed to play soccer once I have recovered from my surgery!"