Robert is a matatu, or public transportation, driver and the father of two children aged 16 and 7 years. He recently separated from his wife, so Robert currently lives alone in their home in Magina, Kenya. On the June 26th, Robert was injured in a road accident and sustained twin fractures on his thigh and leg. Robert is now unable to walk on his own. Fortunately, our partner surgeons can help. On June 30th, Robert is scheduled to undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation, to help him walk again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMH), is requesting $672 to fund this procedure. Robert is anxious to return to work, "My legs are my source of livelihood. I need this surgery to be able to get back on my feet and fend for myself and my kids.”

Francis is 27-year-old man who is married and they have one child. He drives whenever he can get work and his wife runs a small kiosk (a temporary roadside shop) that helps to sustain their young family. Francis shared that he's feeling horrible because he had just married when an accident occurred, and now he has to depend on his wife. Francis remembers 15th May 2018 as if it was yesterday. It is a day he says he saw death but says he thanks God he is still alive. Francis worked as a driver who was employed when he could get work. He drives sand lorries, all the drivers wait in one field where lorries are packed and wait for their opportunity to work. Then when the opportunity comes, the driver goes to get sand about 30 kilometres away from his home area. It is in one of these trips that Francis was driving a lorry full of sand and had a head-on collision with a trailer. He was taken to a hospital and a fracture repair procedure was done. But last November Francis started having pain and an inability to walk with this leg. He went to a nearby hospital where an x-ray was done and showed dislodged plates. He was told to give it time to heal but seeing no difference decided to come to Nazareth Hospital where the surgeon advises he undergo a fracture repair to finally heal his condition. On July 26th, Francis will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Francis will no longer be in pain, he will be able to work and provide for his young family. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. “It is very frustrating to marry and be unable to support your family. This accident changed what plans I had for my new family. Now I cannot meet the cost but I plead for help so that I can be able to use my leg and resume my job,” said Francis.

Nabimanya is a student in secondary school, and shared that he prefers sciences to arts and dreams of becoming a doctor. He also loves playing football. His father is a teacher and his mother is a small scale farmer. His parents are separated and he's an only child in his family. Nabimanya stays with his grandmother, who is a small scale farmer earning a living from her banana plantation to support his education. For eight years, Nabimanya has had a painful hernia in his lower left abdomen. This hernia causes him pain and discomfort, especially when he plays football. This is also affecting his studies. Fortunately, on May 25th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $230 to fund Nabimanya's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Nabimanya says, “I hope to resume with school in good health once I have fully recovered.”

Cha is a 20-year-old young man from Burma. He lives with his father, older sister, brother-in-law, and three nieces in Hpapun Township of Karen State. Cha is a student and his oldest niece goes to school while the other two are still too young to attend. His father and brother-in-law are subsistence farmers while his sister is a homemaker. In his spare time, Cha loves to play cane ball and football with his friends. He also likes to help his family with farming during school holidays. Cha goes to the nearest high school to his village, located four to five hours away by motorbike in the village of Day Bu Noh. During the school year he lives in a dormitory and he does not have to pay for school and dormitory fees. On May 6th, Cha was getting ready to move back home for the summer holidays. He borrowed his friend’s motorbike and started the trip back to his village. Not long after he left Day Bu Noh Village, his motorcycle slipped on the uneven dirt road and he fell from the motorcycle. The next thing Cha remembered was waking up at a clinic in Day Bu Noh Village with his friend beside him. When he asked his friend what had happened, his friend told him that some of the villagers had found him unconscious on the side of the road and brought him to the clinic. The medic at the clinic examined Cha and told him that his lower jaw was fractured but they could not treat him at the clinic. The medic gave him injections and oral medications to help control the pain. Cha’s friend, who works for the district’s office in the Day Bu Noh village, told his superiors about Cha’s situation and that Cha did not know how he could receive treatment at another clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand where another friend works. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Thailand had shut its borders to neighboring countries. His friend’s superiors were able to arrange for Cha to be brought to Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), accompanied by Cha’s friend. Cha was discharged from the clinic in Day Bu Noh Village on May 15th and started to make their way to MTC. After they crossed over into Thailand on a boat, Chan and his friend arrived at MTC on May 16th. At the clinic, the medic examined Cha before telling him that he will have to go to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for an x-ray. He also received some oral pain medication from the medic and, on May 20th, Cha received an x-ray at MSH. The x-ray showed that Cha had fractured his lower jaw in two locations, the left side and in the middle, as well as that the fracture was now infected. He was told that he will need to receive injections to treat the infection and that he will need surgery to help his jaw heal properly. Currently, Cha’s jaw is swollen and painful. He cannot eat solid food and is only able to eat boiled rice and drink liquid food. One of his teeth hurts and he cannot open his mouth wide. He is not able to speak properly, and his lower jaw is extremely painful, especially on the left side. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Cha will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for May 29th and will cost $1,500. The surgery will help Cha to be free from the pain and he will be able to talk properly again. “I feel sad that I cannot help my family during this summer holiday,” Cha said. In the future, Cha said that he plans to continue his studies next year at Mu Traw Junior College in Day Bu Noh Village. He is also interested in working with his friend at the district office in the branch that looks after the environment, forest, and wild animals.

Fredrick is an elderly man from Kenya. Earlier this year in April, Fredrick noticed a lump in his right breast. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his older age, he decided not to risk visiting the hospital for a checkup. He was examined in September and underwent some scans and a biopsy test, but no treatment or medication was offered to him. Later on, one of his children brought him back to the hospital for further examination. The doctor diagnosed Frederick with breast cancer requiring a mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue. Without treatment, the cancer may metastasize to other organs. Fredrick has five children whom he relies on to meet his daily needs. Only one of the five is financially stable able enough to send him some money for daily living. Fredrick and his wife practice small-scale farming to supplement this financial support. He and his family are not able to raise the required amount of money for his surgery and ask for your help. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $857 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Fredrick. The procedure is scheduled to take place on October 14. After treatment, Fredrick will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Fredrick shared, “I am hopeful that I will get the required treatment."

Thorng is a 20-year-old construction worker with four brothers and two sisters. He likes to listen to music on the radio and watch TV. In July, Thorng fell off his motorbike and hit his neck, paralyzing his left arm. He was diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury, meaning that the nerves connecting his spine to his arm were damaged. Thorng was in pain, and he could not raise his left arm. After learning about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), Thorng traveled for five hours with his mother to reach CSC for treatment. On November 1, surgeons performed a nerve transfer surgery in his left arm. After recovery, he should be able to use his arm easily. Now, he needs help to fund this $450 procedure.