Sokim is a 39-year-old rice farmer, who lives with her husband and three children in Cambodia. Her husband also works as a rice farmer, and their three children are in school. On September 28th, Sokim was washing the family's motorcycle when she slipped and fell, injuring her left leg. At a clinic X-rays were performed, which showed that she had a previously undiagnosed tumor on her left femur. Since then, she has been in constant pain and cannot walk. Because she was not able to afford any treatment, she was referred to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, where a biopsy showed a chondrosarcoma of the distal femur. This is a common type of bone cancer that originates in cartilage cells and primarily affects adults. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. The doctors at the clinic referred Sokim to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for further treatment. After additional evaluation, Sokim has been scheduled to undergo surgery on October 19th, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Center, during which the tumor will be removed and her femur repaired. Now, Sokim and her family are seeking $726 to fund Sokim's surgery and care. Sokim hopes that she will be able to walk without pain and continue with her rice farming after she has recovered.

Joshua is a 21-year-old man who works as a motorbike taxi driver. His parents are small-scale farmers. Joshua is the second of seven children and has just finished form four in school. Joshua had a traffic accident last month and severely injured his leg. He was taken to the hospital where he had popliteal bypass surgery—a surgical procedure used to treat damaged leg arteries above or below the knee and used to salvage limbs that are at risk of amputation. Fasciotomy—the cutting of tissue on his leg—was also necessary. Following that procedure, Joshua had surgery for external fixation to align his leg bones because his doctor identified that he had a drop foot. Joshua has been in the hospital for over a month and is doing well, but he has open wounds where fasciotomy was performed. He now needs skin grafting to close his open wounds, replace lost skin and improve the appearance of the damaged skin. He is appealing for help so that he may quickly heal and be able to go home. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Joshua with his medical needs. Joshua needs your help funding this $1,089 procedure. Joshua says, "To this point, I thank God and everyone who took part in making all this happen. I am looking forward to getting well so that I may walk again and be able to carry out some work. Please help me.”

Raphorn is a 27-year-old casino worker who lives in Prey Veang province with his parents and brother. His parents are rice farmers, and his brother repairs air conditioners. Several weeks ago, Raphorn accidentally cut his hand with a knife. He took care of his wound by visiting a pharmacy for dressings and medication, because he could not afford to visit a clinic. Several days after his accident, he noticed that the wound was red and swollen. He visited a nearby hospital, and the doctors informed him that he was suffering from cellulitis, a common but potentially serious bacterial skin infection, which would require an incision and drainage of the infected wound. The area surrounding the wound is now swollen, tender to the touch, and painful, and he is unable to work. When Raphorn learned about our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On July 25th, surgeons at CSC will perform debridement of the infected skin and skin flap surgery to heal the wound infection so that he can work with his hand again. Raphorn is able to contribute $100 to the cost of the surgery and needs help with $673 to fund his procedure and care. He shared, "After surgery, I hope that my hand looks good and the infection is gone so I can go to work again."

Carl is a student from Haiti. Carl lives with his parents and two younger brothers in a small town on the southern coast of Haiti. His father is a teacher and his mother is a homemaker. Carl is in the fourth grade and likes his math and science classes. Carl has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the four valves of Carl's heart is severely damaged due to an infection he suffered earlier in childhood; this valve cannot adequately pump blood through his body, leaving him weak and short of breath. The care that he needs is not available in the country, but fortunately Carl will be able to fly to Egypt to receive treatment. On January 31st, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will first attempt to repair his damaged valve. If this is not possible, the surgery team will then implant an artificial replacement. Another organization, Gift of Life International, is contributing $6000 to pay for surgery. Carl's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Carl's family overseas. Carl's father shared: "Our family is very hopeful that this surgery will let our son live a normal life again."

Provia is a 52-year-old mother of three. She went to primary school but eventually had to drop out due to the cost of tuition, but now owns and runs her own retail shop to meet her family’s needs. Her children are all grown now with careers of their own, but her youngest child is currently pursuing a degree in nursing at the local University and Provia is trying to assist her with tuition. Since 2021, Provia has been experiencing severe backaches and abdominal pain. When the pains persisted, she visited a doctor's office and was given medication. This helped her for a while, however, in January and February of this year, she started experiencing more severe lower abdominal pains and other worrying symptoms. The abdominal pains have become so severe and unbearable that she is often forced to stay in bed and is unable to run her small shop. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), was able to diagnose Provia with Chronic Pelvic Inflammatory Disease with endometritis. AMH determined that she needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which the surgeons at AMH will remove her uterus. The surgery is currently scheduled for April 14th. AMH is requesting $319 to fund Provia's surgery. Once recovered, Provia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Provia says, “I pray that I may have a successful surgery. I believe I will have another chance to live a normal life again after surgery and be able to continue running my and supporting my family.”

Lydia finished high school last year and has dreams of attending university, but she started experiencing some pain in her abdomen last December. She experienced the pain for one month before going to the hospital for an examination. After an abdomen CT scan, Lydia was diagnosed with Cystic liver disease. She was booked for surgery after the family raised enough money through fundraising. During the surgery, Lydia experienced complications when anesthesia was being administered and the surgery had to be cancelled. She was admitted to the ICU for a few days, recovered, and was discharged, but all the money her family raised was used to pay the hospital bill, and the family had to get a loan to clear the bill. While at home, Lydia recovered well, and during the last clinic review, she was finally ready for liver surgery. Their family has completely exhausted their funds and is appealing for any financial help to facilitate their daughter's treatment, hoping that after her complete healing, she can pursue her dreams. Lydia shared, “I really want to be helpful at home and maybe get a job to help my family but I can’t. This condition is very painful. I hope I will be treated soon enough and recover well.”

Angela is a 32-year-old woman from Kenya. She is a single mother to four children between the ages of 4 and 13 years old. Her husband left to marry another woman, and Angela works hard to provide for her children. She was fetching firewood to sell to hotels and homes but became too ill to carry out this work. She also worked in a hotel as a cleaner, but the income was insufficient for their needs. Now, after taking her children to school, Angela stays in the area to carry water and wash clothes for residents. She also receives some financial support from her family. Angela shared that life has been challenging, but she is thankful to be alive and raising support for her treatment needs. Angela first met our medical partner's surgical team during a medical camp they hosted in her hometown a few months ago. During that visit, she was diagnosed with a non-toxic multinodular goiter. Angela’s symptoms began a few years back, including experiencing swelling on her neck and difficulty eating, swallowing, and breathing. She cannot sleep at night and becomes fatigued quickly. Angela needs to undergo surgery to heal and prevent her symptoms from worsening. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Angela receive treatment. On March 16th, she will undergo a thyroidectomy at AMH’s care center. During this procedure, surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting $936 to fund Angela’s surgery. Angela said: “Life is so hard, and sometimes I want to give up, but when I remember my children, I encourage myself to keep going only for their sake. When I get treated, I can work hard and provide for them without difficulty. Kindly help me.”

Seint, who is 34 years old, lives with her parents and her aunt in Ayeyarwaddy Division in Burma. Her parents and her aunt make and sell mats from their home. When Seint was 13-years old, she noticed she started to easily tire, experienced heart palpitations, and had barely enough energy to play with her friends. Her mother took her to a nearby clinic, where the doctor examined her and told them that she had congenital heart disease. The doctor gave Seint medication, which she used together with traditional medicine. Both helped her to feel better. In November 2022, Seint felt extremely tired and experienced heart palpitations while she was completing physical exercises with her students. She also had difficulty breathing, and her vision became blurred. Her mother took her to a clinic, where she received medications which helped her to feel better. A few days later, however, she started to experience pain in her back whenever she felt tired. She also started to have difficulty breathing again, and had heart palpitations. Her mother brought her to a hospital in Yangon, where she received an echocardiogram that allowed the doctor to diagnose her with atrial septal defect. After additional testing, the doctor scheduled her to undergo urgent heart surgery at Pun Hlaing Hospital. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is seeking $1,500 to fund Seint's surgery, which will allow her to regain her health, and to live symptom free. Seint said: "I would like to recover as soon as possible. In the future, I will continue to work as a teacher. I love teaching students and wearing our school uniform proudly."

Phinehas is a 3-year-old social boy who likes playing with toys. He is an only child who his parents adore. The family hails from a village in Kenya. His mother is a homemaker and his father is a small-scale businessman who operates a shop in their local area. As Phinehas began to walk, his mother noticed an unusual walking style characterized by continuous knocking of his knees, leading him to lose balance and fall often. Upon examination, the condition identified was knock knees, whereby his knees tilt inwards. He was issued a brace to correct the deformity, but this treatment proved unsuccessful. He was then referred to our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) where the doctor examining determined that surgery is necessary to fix his condition. Phineas is scheduled to have a bilateral surgery on July 26th, where doctors will insert small metal plates shaped like an eight to guide the growth of his legs. AMH is requesting $1,224 to fully fund this procedure. The treatment will be impactful to him because he will be able to walk upright without falling and without knees knocking each other. Phinehas’s mother shared, “We would like to seek support to help my son undergo surgery and his legs to be corrected so that he can walk normally like other children.”

James is a 13-year-old boy from Muranga County, Kenya. He is the second born in a family of three. James is in fifth grade, and he likes playing football and spending time with his friends. He aspires to become a pilot in the future. We met James at our main hospital, Kijabe, accompanied by a member of his church, Maina, who said “I know James as a hardworking and passionate boy in the church. I spotted him there doing presentations and performances and noticed that he had sustained a burn contracture on his neck which created a lot of discomfort because of the stiffness." James sustained burns when he was a child, which has caused him a lot of discomfort and prevents him from living a fully comfortable life. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping James receive treatment. On February 13th, surgeons at their care center will perform a single contracture release surgery on James; he will be able to move his neck more and be free from the stiffness. He will have a chance at a comfortable life. Now, he needs help to fund this $840 procedure. “Because of the challenges the family has, we are appealing for support to help this boy undergo surgery so he can be set free from neck stiffness and continue with his normal life,” Maina told us.