Leap is married and has a family of four children and five grandchildren. She enjoys looking after her grandchildren and visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray. On April 15th, 2021, Leap fell down while pulling a cow and has had left hip pain since then. She received Khmer traditional treatment but her hip pain did not improve. She then went to a clinic where an X-ray was taken, but none of the treatment offered was one that Leap could afford. In search of treatment, finally she visited our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) where they can repair her left femoral fracture. CSC is requesting $539 for an arthroplasty that will allow Leap to walk again. Leap shares, "I hope I can be free of pain and walk again after my surgery."

Kean is a fruit seller from Cambodia. She has two sons, two daughters, and many grandchildren. Kean lives with her husband and her youngest daughter who is a receptionist at a medical center. Kean cannot sell fruit anymore because of her poor vision. She still enjoys listening to monks pray on the radio. Five years ago, Kean developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her photophobia and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Kean learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled there with her daughter seeking treatment. On May 13th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Kean said, "After surgery I am hoping I can join ceremonies at the pagoda again and see my family."

Hong is a 66-year-old widowed rice farmer. She shared proudly that she has eight children: four sons and four daughters. All of her children are married except the youngest daughter - a factory worker - with whom she lives. She also has ten beautiful, lively grandchildren. When not helping to care for her family, she likes to listen to monks pray on the radio. Eight months ago, Hong developed a mass on her right elbow. At first, it was small, but it quickly grew larger. Now, the mass on her right elbow is painful and swollen, and Hong is unable to work with her right hand. She visited her local provincial hospital in January for a removal, but the mass has grown even larger since then. Another local hospital referred her to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for treatment. On April 21, surgeons at CSC will perform excision of mass in her right elbow and a flap for a skin graft. These surgical procedures will help her feel comfortable again and regain use of her right arm. Now, she needs help to fund this $657 procedure. Hong said, "I hope that this treatment will be successful this time, so I can go back home and work as I did as before. I hope I am able to use my right hand without pain, without a recurrent mass, and have full function of my right hand again."

Peter is a third grade student from Kenya. Peter is very active and playful like many kids his age. He is the seventh son in a family of eight children. Peter's father repairs household items including basins and jerricans, and his mother is a casual laborer who washes clothes for a living. Their family currently lives together in a two-room mud house. About 10 weeks ago, Peter fell from a tall tree and he sustained a femur shaft fracture and hip dislocation. He currently walks and gets around using crutches, and there is the risk that he may not able to walk on his own again unless he receives surgical intervention. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On March 17th, Peter will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him walk easily again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,500 to fund his surgery. Peter's father shared, “[Peter] has been unable to go to school since the accident. He can’t walk without the help of crutches and if he doesn’t go for surgery he might be unable to walk normally.”

Lai is a 59-year-old with six children and four grandchildren. She is widowed and lives with a daughter and helps her with the children. One month ago, Lai slipped and fell in the bathroom. She is not able to walk and experiences constant and severe pain in her left hip due to a femoral neck fracture. Fortunately, Lai learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). At CSC, surgeons will perform a total hip replacement to relieve Lai of her pain and allow her to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for February 17th, and Lai needs help raising $1,087 to pay for the procedure. Lai shared that she really wants to walk again and be free of the terrible pain she's feeling.

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.”

Khaing is a 27-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her husband and a three-year-old son in a village in Tak Province. Originally from Karen State, Burma, they moved to their current home three years ago in search of better job opportunities. Her husband is a day laborer and she is homemaker. Ten years ago, Khaing started feeling like her nose was blocked and that she could not breathe well. She also had a runny nose and saw a small mass in her nostril while looking at her reflection in the mirror. At the time, Khaing did not go to see a doctor because she could not afford to pay for treatment, and she thought that she would feel better over time. However, four years ago she noticed that the mass had grown. Khaing went to her local hospital in Burma, where the doctor confirmed she had a mass in her nostril and gave her medication for a week. She did not go back to her follow-up appointment as she had run out of money. She then tried to treat herself with traditional medicine unsuccessfully as the mass continued to increase in size. In the beginning of May 2020, Khaing developed a severe headache and pain in her nose. The area around her nose also became swollen. She went to Mae Tao Clinic for treatment, where the medic found large masses in both of her nasal cavities. She was then taken to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further investigation. At MSH, she received an x-ray of her nose and the doctor told her that the masses were large and surrounded by a lot of pus. After a CT scan, the doctor diagnosed her with a nasal polyp and scheduled her for surgery on December 28th, 2020. Currently, the area around her nose is swollen and painful. Her nostrils feel itchy, her nose is blocked, and has to breathe through her mouth. She still has a headache, though since she received pain medication from the doctor at MSH, this has been less severe. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On December 28th, Khaing will undergo an endoscopic sinus surgery. Once recovered, she will be able to breathe normally again and her quality of life will significantly improve. Now, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Khaing shared, "I really want to have surgery and feel better. I am not scared because I believe that the surgery will help me be free from headaches and breathe well again."

John is a casual laborer from Kenya and the oldest of three children in his family with a single mother. John is currenrtly unemployed and previously he did some casual work at a bus stage: to help fill passengers for a small daily wage. His mother does casual work like cleaning clothes for neighbors and any other job available. On 4th April 2019 John was hit by a vehicle that lost control and met him on the side of the road. He sustained injuries to both legs. He was taken to a nearby hospital and x-rays showed he had closed fracture head of femur left leg and open fracture right tibia. Through the earlier support of friends and neighbors, he had an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) surgery on the left side and external fixator on his right leg. Unfortunately even after the wound was healed his family could not afford another ORIF surgery which is much needed. Doctors are concerned that if not treated soon, John may get sepsis in his bones and may never be able to use his legs again. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On May 5th, John will undergo an ORIF fracture repair procedure. We hope with treatment, he will regain normal use of his legs and that an infection will also be avoided. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $998 to fund this procedure. “I have suffered a whole year in bed and pain that seems to have no end. I really plead for support and God will bless you. I can’t imagine seeing these metal bars removed from my leg and walking again, even if by crutches,” says John.

Grace is a 6-year-old girl from Tanzania. She is the firstborn child in a family of two children. Grace's parents depend on small scale farming for their living, and sell milk from the cows that they own. Last year, Grace was left in her family's hut when her mother went out to milk one of their cows. Normally, Grace would accompany her mother, but because it was raining, her mother asked her to keep herself warm by the fire. As she was warming herself, Grace's clothing caught on fire, and she sustained burns on her left hand and arm. Her wounds have since healed, but her hand is now deformed and she is unable to use it in life's daily activities. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Grace receive treatment. On November 13th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help restore her ability to use her hand easily. Now, she needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Grace’s father shared, “The fire accident has left our daughter disabled. Please help correct her hand so that she can be able to use both of her hands and return to normal life.”

Peter is a 46-year-old man from Kiambu County in Kenya. He works mostly in construction sites as a manual laborer. Peter is the second born in a family of eight. He was hit by a motorbike while crossing the road on July 27th, 2020. He was taken to a nearby hospital where an x-ray confirmed he had sustained a fracture of his left femur. An ORIF surgery was recommended but he could not afford the cost of surgery. Peter had been on traction to help treat his fracture since his admission at a government hospital. A recent standoff between the county government and health workers led to a go-slow, which has prompted patients like Peter to seek treatment elsewhere since they cannot access care currently. Peter came to our medical partner's facility and saw the surgeon who again also recommended an ORIF procedure. Peter hopes that he finally has the life-changing surgery that will restore full functionality of his leg and enable him to go back to work. If not treated Peter’s fracture may fail to unite or mal-unite leading to loss of function of his left lower limb. He is not able to personally raise the amount required for surgery given that he is a casual laborer with minimal income.  Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On October 19th, Peter will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. The surgery will allow him to walk with ease and reduce the instance of complications. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. “I have been in hospital and unable to provide for myself since the accident in July. I hope that the operation will enable me to walk again so that I can fend for myself once more,” Peter said.

Tok is a 53-year-old farmer from Cambodia. Tok got married 35 years ago, her husband recently passed away from an illness. She has one son, four daughters, and four grandchildren. She spends her time cleaning, cooking, and taking care of her chickens. In February 2018, Tok was in a motor accident the injured her left knee. She was taken to a government hospital for a tibia fracture repair surgery but this did not restore her left leg's range of motion. She arrived at our Medical Partner's Hospital unable to extend her left leg fully, which has made walking difficult for her. When Tok learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for five hours seeking treatment. On September 22nd, surgeons at CSC will perform a quadricepsplasty procedure of her left knee to help her walk again. Now, Tok needs help to fund this $430 procedure. Tok told us, "I hope I will be able to walk easily again after this surgery."

Glorianne is a young student from Kenya. Glorianne is a brilliant and social girl, we met her at our clinic in Embu. She asked so many questions to the doctor and wanted to know how her condition could be corrected. She is the first born in a family of two and a class six pupil. Her mother told us that she likes reading and English is her favorite subject. The family hails from Kiambere village in Embu County. Her mother is a single parent and she works as a secretary at local secondary school. Glorianne has clubfoot of her left foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Glorianne traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on August 18. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Glorianne's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily and wear shoes without discomfort. “I am requesting your help so that my daughter can properly stand and walk like other girls,” shared Risper, Glorianne’s mother..