Sokea is an 11-year-old student who is in the fifth grade. He has one brother and one sister. In his free time, he enjoys reading and playing football. His parents are construction workers. One year ago, the retina of Sokea's left eye detached, causing him partial blindness and tearing. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Sokea learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours with his mother seeking treatment. On June 11th, eye surgeons will perform a retinal detachment repair procedure in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $648 procedure. Sokea shared, "I hope I can see well so I can study better in school and play with my friends."

Thy is a 61-year-old farmer who is married with one son, two daughters, and many grandchildren. They live with their youngest daughter and both he and his wife are rice farmers. Because of his poor vision, he cannot go to the rice field right now. He cares for the grandchildren and likes to watch boxing and the news on TV. Three years ago, Thy developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him blurred vision, photophobia, inability to recognize faces. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Thy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours with his daughter seeking treatment. On March 29th, 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 $229 procedure. Thy shared, :I hope after surgery I can see well, it will be easy to recognize people. I can help my daughter to take care of the grandchildren and can go to the rice field with my wife to plant rice again."

Phors is a 21-year-old construction worker--the youngest in his family with two brothers and two sisters. Phors lives at home with his parents. His mother is a cleaner and his father is a farmer. When he is not building houses, Phors enjoys playing football, listening to music, and playing games on his phone. On March 28th, Phors was in a motor vehicle accident and fractured his left mandible and right femur. It is difficult for him to open his mouth or eat ever since. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On April 8th, Phors will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. This procedure will help him to use his mouth easily again and be on the road to recovery and healing. Phors shared, "I hope I can return to work without pain and will be able to easily eat or drink."

Ratha is a 38-year-old construction worker who has been proudly married to his wife for eighteen years and is the father of three very active sons, who all attend school. In his free time, Ratha likes to exercise, watch TV, and have a beer with his friends. In December 2020, Ratha was in a motor vehicle accident that crushed his left arm. His family took him to a government hospital for care, but unfortunately he has still not recovered from the accident. He cannot move his hand or flex his elbow, and he has been diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury on his left hand 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. Currently, Ratha has no movement in his hand and is unable to lift his arm, which also causes him severe pain during the night. Since the accident, he has been unable to work. Ratha traveled to our Medical Partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), to receive treatment. On March 3rd, Ratha will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. After his recovery from the procedure, he will be able to use his arm again. CSC is requesting $696 to fund the cost of Ratha's procedure. Ratha is hopeful that after the procedure, he will be able to use his hand again soon and provide support for his family.

Mu Hee is a 23-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her parents, older brother, sister in-law, three nephews and three nieces in a refugee camp. Mu Hee’s older brother is the sole income earner in their family. He works as a nurse in the camp’s hospital, which is run by International Rescue Committee (IRC). Mu Hee’s parents and her sister in-law look after the household chores. Mu Hee’s nieces and nephews are students and Mu Hee is a Bible school student. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020, she has been studying online in the refugee camp. Her teachers support her school fees and food. In her free time, Mu Hee likes to play with her nieces and nephews. She also loves to listen to music and sing. When Mu Hee was 14 years old, she began to experience severe abdominal pain. The first time it occurred, her father called a medic who lived close to their house, and the medic gave her an injection. She felt better after the injection, but continued to feel unwell every month. When she was 15, her father took her to the clinic in the camp to check whether Mu Hee had a serious illness in her abdomen, but the medic could not find any problem. Mu Hee's pain continued and she continued to receive treatment to help, but she did not think that her condition was serious because she had heard from her friends that some women experienced pain during the first day of their period. In early 2020, Mu Hee spoke about this condition with a staff member from a nearby clinic and with one of her teachers. Both urged her to get a check-up, and in February 2020, Mu Hee went to a clinic and a medic found a mass in her left ovary. Doctors have tried to treat her with medications for almost a year, but the mass has continued to grow. During a follow-up appointment in January 2021, the doctor told her that she would need surgery. Recently, Mu Hee has experienced pain in the left side of her lower abdomen almost every day. The pain is on and off and she feels most uncomfortable when running or walking, especially over long distances. She also experiences some pain as she does other basic daily tasks. Mu Hee sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery, and she is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Mu Hee said, “The first time when I heard that I have a mass in my ovary, I felt very sad. I am also worried that the mass might be cancerous. I think about my condition very often, but my parents are very supportive, and they encourage me not to be afraid. I believe that I will no longer experience pain after surgery.”

Thang is a 68-year-old vegetable seller from Cambodia. She has four sons, five daughters, and many grandchildren. She used to go to the market with her husband at 5AM every morning to sell vegetables, but she has been unable to because she cannot see well. She stays home instead to take care of her grandchildren and doesn't go outside. One year ago, Thang developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurred vision, difficulty seeing in bright light or at night. She has a hard time seeing things clearly, recognizing people, and going anywhere outside because of her vision. When Thang learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four hours with her husband seeking treatment. On February 1st, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification 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. "I hope after surgery my eye can see well, so I can go to sell vegetables with my husband again," Thang shared.

Erick is a 10-month-old baby and the last born in a family of two children. He is already developing a sweet personality and is a charming young boy. Erick's parents are small scale farmers who grow maize and vegetables for their food. His father also seeks casual labouring jobs like working on other people's farms to supplement their income. Since he was three months old, Erick has had a bilateral inguinal hernia and bilateral undescended testis. Each time the hernia swelling would appear or disappear it would increase in size and make Erick very uncomfortable. As a result, Erick would cry a lot and was unable to sleep or eat well. Fortunately, on March 22nd, Erick will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $566 to fund Erick's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to grow and live more comfortably and confidently. Erick’s mother shared, “My baby is usually in pain when the swelling appears making him not be able to sleep or eat well. Please help him."

Vann is a father to a 6-year-old daughter who is in second grade. Following his divorce a few years ago, he and his daughterlive together with his mother. In Vann's free time, he feeds farm animals (mostly chickens and pigs), watches TV, and takes his daughter outside for walks. Vann recently fractured his left femur and left tibia. He went to the government hospital and had an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) with nails to stabilize the fracture. He stayed for three days in hospital then returned home. But, after one month he could still only walk a little bit and had a lot of pain. Now he traveled to Watsi's Medical Partner CSC in need of care. Doctors there will do a bone graft on his left tibia and a tendon achilles lengthening cast for him so that he can walk again. Vann is hopeful that after this treatment he will be able to walk easily and find a job to support his family.

Daw Mya is a 59-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her daughter, granddaughter, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Yangon, Burma. Daw Mya is currently too ill to work, but her daughter works as a seamstress in a factory. Her granddaughter goes to school, her son is a taxi driver, her daughter-in-law looks after their son at home. Her daughter and her son both help look after Daw Mya and try to support her as best they can. Daw Mya was diagnosed with a heart condition that involves a malformation of the mitral valve, the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle. This valve controls the flow of blood, but certain conditions may cause blood to flow backward or the valve to narrow. Currently, Daw Mya feels tired and experiences heart palpitations with chest pain. She has no appetite and cannot sleep well at night, and both of her legs are swollen. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement for Daw Mya. The treatment is scheduled to take place on February 21st and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably. Daw Mya said, “I want to get better soon so that I can help my family. I want to help them because my daughter-in-law is always looking after me and her child [my grandson], so she cannot work. If I can look after the household chores and take care of the family, they can go to work and earn more income for our family. I cannot go anywhere because of my condition. They always take care of me and they spend too much of their money on me.”

Sor is a mother of three from Cambodia with three daughters and four grandchildren. Sor runs a small grocery shop at her home with her daughter. She lives with her eldest daughter since her husband passed away last year and shared that she enjoys listening to news on the radio. Ten years ago, Sor developed a pterygium in left, causing her irritation, itching, 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 Sor learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for one hour by tuk tuk with her brother seeking treatment. Sor 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 November 23th. Sor said, "I hope my eye improves so I can help my daughter more at home with our business."

Jue is a 25-year-old woman who lives with her family in a village in Hmawbi Township, Yangon Division, Burma. Her parents are housekeepers, and her youngest brother is a first-year university student who has been seeking work. Jue used to run a beauty salon, but had to stop working four months ago when her health deteriorated. In her free time, Jue likes to watch the news and videos relating to her work at the beauty salon. She also likes to read books and wants to write a book of her own someday. In August 2020, Jue felt pains in her stomach and chest. She would also experience difficulty breathing sometimes, and she would feel tired when she walked for a longer period of time. Jue went to the clinic in her village, where she received oral medication, but she did not feel better after taking it. She returned to the clinic several times over the course of two months, but her condition continued to worsen – the chest pain, difficulty breathing and feeling of fatigue happened more often. Jue decided to go to another clinic in North Okkala Township in Yangon in November 2020. At the clinic, the doctor listened to her heart with a stethoscope, and informed her that she has a congenital heart condition. The doctor recommended she receive a blood test, an echocardiogram (echo) and an electrocardiogram (ecg) at a hospital. After visiting a hospital to receive those tests, the doctor there told her that she was born with a hole in her heart and that she might need to receive surgery at the general hospital. However, the cost of surgery was too high. Luckily, Jue crossed paths with another former patient and was referred to Watsi's Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) to seek assistance with accessing treatment. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On January 24th, U Win will undergo an atrial septal defect closure procedure. Once recovered, her quality of life will significantly improve and she will be able to return to working at her beauty salon. Now, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Jue shared, “I want to get better as quickly as possible and go back to work. I’m worried about my younger brother. He doesn’t have a job, and he needs to graduate from university. I’m also worried about Covid-19 because nobody has a job right now.”

Ya is a 26-year-old potato farmer from Cambodia. He and his wife were married only two months ago. They are now living with Ya's parents to help them with the work on their farm. Ya likes to play soccer, drive through the countryside on his motorcycle, and cook for his family. In May 2018, he was in a motor vehicle accident that caused a fracture of his left forearm. His family brought him to a hospital where he had a plate installed on the bone. His fracture healed well after that, and he regained the use of his arm. However he still feels pain in his arm where the plate is installed. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On August 7th, Ya will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which costs $230. This procedure will remove the problematic plate and allow his arm to fully recover. Ya said, "I am thankful to CSC for helping me so much, and I am happy that my arm will be free of pain after the surgery."