Meet Leah, a joyful 43-year-old woman from Kenya. She is married with three children. Leah and her husband work casual labor jobs to provide for their family. She has been experiencing worrisome thyroid symptoms for four years. She visited our medical partner’s care center previously for a thyroidectomy. Following the procedure, a pathology test showed signs of a hurthle cell carcinoma, a malignant tumor on the thyroid gland. The surgeons advised that Leah undergo a complete thyroidectomy to prevent any other issues from arising. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Leah receive the treatment she needs to finally heal. On February 27th, she will undergo a full thyroidectomy at AMH’s care center. AMH is requesting $936 to fund this procedure, and Leah and her family are requesting assistance with the cost of her care. Leah shared: “I underwent my first procedure successfully, and I thank God that I know early that the tumor is malignant. Kindly help me undergo my second procedure so that I may be able to live without problems in the future.”

Heng is a 16-year-old student from Cambodia in the 11th grade. His father is a roof builder and his mother stays at home. He has two older sisters who live at home, but have finished school and work outside of the home. In his free time, Heng enjoys reading books, exercising, fishing, and listening to music. At school, he likes math and would like to go into Information Technology. In June 2022, Heng was in a motorcycle collision where he fractured his right shoulder, femur, and hand, as well as both clavicles and several facial bones. His family took him to a local government hospital for surgery, but five months later, he still cannot move his right shoulder, elbow, wrist, or fingers. He has been diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury on his right 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. Heng has difficulty with daily tasks, feels poorly, and has stopped going to school due to his injury. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Heng receive treatment. He traveled to CSC's care center, the only center in Cambodia where the required treatment is available. On November 14th, he will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. After recovery, he hopes to move his shoulder and use his hand. Now, he needs help raising $709 to fund his procedure and care. Heng's mother shared, "we hope Heng will recover and use his shoulder and arm again after surgery."

BB Martine is a 10-month-old baby from Haiti. He is his parent's only child. They shared how much he likes to smile and the joy this brings to them. BB Martine has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, BB Martine has been experiencing an increasing head circumference, which is very worrisome for their family. Without treatment, BB Martine will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for BB Martine at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat his hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on April 13th. This critical treatment will place a shunt to drain the excess fluid from BB Martine's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, BB Martine will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. BB Martine's family is hopeful that with treatment, their son will have a chance at a healthy childhood.

Kom Phim is a 75-year-old woman with one son, two daughters, and four grandchildren. Sadly, her husband passed away five years ago. Now, Phim lives with her eldest son who is a farmer. In her free time, Kom Phim likes listening to Khmer and Thai dramas. Five years ago, Kom Phim developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Kom Phim learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for eight hours seeking treatment. On February 9th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Kom Phim shared, "I hope after surgery my eye can see well. I want to go out easily, recognize things well, travel far, and help my son look after my grandchildren."

Sarah is a 5-year-old girl from Haiti. She is typically a healthy and active girl and is very loved by her family. Sarah has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Sarah has been experiencing severe headaches. Sarah had a shunt placed when she was an infant for treatment and it allowed her to develop normally. The recent headaches alerted the doctors that the shunt stopped working and needed to be replaced. Without treatment, Sarah will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Sarah at Hospital Bernard Mevs. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on December 7th. This critical treatment will replace the shunt and drain the excess fluid from Sarah's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Sarah will hopefully continue to develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Their family is grateful that Sarah will be able to continue to have a happy life after the shunt is replaced.

Peace is a 43-year-old teacher and mother of three from Uganda. Her eldest daughter finished university recently but is not yet employed while Peace's other two children are still in school. Peace graduated as a third grade teacher and has since been teaching. During her free time, she loves tending to her domestic animals and farming. Since the Covid-19 pandemic arrived, her employment has been affected. Her husband is a boda-boda (cargo bike) driver but the income is also small to make ends meet and afford sufficient medical care. Peace was experiencing lower abdominal pain for the past two years ago. She has been diagnosed with cystocele with a poorly healed 3rd-degree tear. She tried seeking treatment from a different health center but could not receive the treatment due to the cost of surgery. Her friend recommended she visit Nyakibale Hospital. She was reviewed and her doctors recommended uterine prolapse repair surgery. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On August 24th, Peace will undergo surgery. She will be free from the pain which she experiences daily. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting support to fund this treatment. Peace says “I am worried I may lose my family but I have hope that once I am operated on, all will be fine and I will be relieved from this discomfort and pain.”

Dinavensi is a 48-year-old mother from Uganda. She shared with us that sadly five of Dinavensi's children have passed away and her living children have special needs and rely on Dinavensi daily. Dhinavensi works hard as a laborer whenever she can find the work. Recently, Dinavensi was working on a banana plantation and collapsed. She was soon transported to a local clinic where she was transferred to our medical partner African Mission Healthcare's (AMH) care center. Her neighbors pooled money to ensure she was able to be transported to the hospital. She had been experiencing heavy bleeding, a backache and general body weakness for some weeks now. Dinavensi has been diagnosed with menorrghagia and uterine myoma. If not treated, Dinavensi is at risk of suffering from severe anaemia and future complications. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy. AMH is requesting $219 to fund Dinavensi's surgery. Once recovered, Dinavensi will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain and go back to taking good care of her children. Dinavensi shared, "I am afraid that without treatment, bleeding will continue and my health will deteriorate. I am the only one my children rely on. Please help me to be treated."

Sorn is a 75-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has three sons, two daughters, and six grandchildren. She enjoys taking care of her grandchildren and visiting the pagoda. Sorn has a growing mass in her lower eyelid which has been diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma. Her neighbor encouraged her to come to Watsi's Medical Partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) to see if she could be treated. Fortunately, on September 23rd, surgeons at CSC will perform excision and skin flap procedure to remove the growth. Now, she needs help to fund this $657 procedure. Sorn said, "I really hope after this surgery I feel better and am comfortable again."

Thy is a 63-year-old farm worker from Cambodia. She has one son, four daughters, and ten grandchildren. She works at a local rubber farm. Thy lives with her daughter and her grandchildren since her husband passed away seven years ago. When she is not working, she loves to take her grandchildren on walks to play outside. She is also a devout Christian, and shared that she likes to read the bible everyday. Seven years ago, Thy developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her severe irritation, burning, and tearing. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Thy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four hours seeking treatment. Thy needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $216. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for September 8th. Thy said, "I hope that after this procedure, I can see well enough to continue my job, and that I can play well with my grandchildren and enjoy being outside with them."

Johnson is an 8-month baby boy from Tanzania. Johnson, the last born child in a family of four, and already is a very active and friendly little boy. Johnson's parents are both subsistence farmers. Johnson was born in a local hospital where his parents were informed that his spine was not fully formed, thus resulting in a condition known as spinal bifida. Because Johnson's condition was not severe, they were informed that he wouldn’t need treatment and that it would close on its own. As their family continued to attend clinics they were told to wait till Johnson gets to five months old for him to have any kind of treatment. At five months they took him to hospital for the treatment but the cost was too high for them to afford and they had to return home. As time went by, Johnson's mother saw that his condition could end up complicated if he didn’t get treatment soon and end up greatly affecting Johnson later in life. She decided to seek treatment. She went to Mt Meru and was referred to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center ALMC for more help.  Johnson was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Johnson is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,015 to cover the cost of Johnson's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on September 7th. This procedure will hopefully spare Johnson from the risks associated with his condition, instead allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Johnson’s mother says, “We are concerned if our son does not get his spine corrected, it might affect his ability to walk. Please help my son.”

Alex is a 22-month-old boy from Tanzania. He is the youngest of two children. His parents depend entirely on small-scale farming for a living. Alex’s father decided to travel to neighboring Kenya to seek small jobs in order to supplement the little harvest they are able to currently get from their farm. Alex was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Alex is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,063 to cover the cost of Alex's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 15th. This procedure will hopefully protect Alex from the risks associated with his condition, allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Alex's mother says, “I will be very happy to see my son walk by himself like his sibling. Please help us as the cost is too high for us to afford."

Sophea is a 27-year-old phone seller from Cambodia. She is a single mother to one son. To earn an income for their family, she sells mobile phones at the market. In her free time she enjoys being with her son and playing on Facebook on her phone. Seven years ago, Sophea developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her irritation, tearing, and feeling uncomfortable going outside. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Sophea learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. Sophea needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $216. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for April 30th. "I hope that my irritation will go away and I will be able to see everything better with no tearing. I can go outside with my little one and continue selling phones at the market." shared Sophea.