“My children are many, but they are unable to help me. Still I have to sustain my family as they are my children,” says Wainuku, a 64-year-old mother of seven who lives in Kenya. Wainuku was diagnosed with cervical cancer after a cancer screening turned up abnormalities. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), has recommended a total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), a surgical procedure in which the uterus and cervix are removed. “Wainuku is not experiencing any symptoms,”says AMHF. However, “if not operated on, the cancer could spread to other organs, leading to suffering and even early death.” Wainuku does odd jobs for her neighbors whenever she can, but she barely earns enough money to take care of herself and the daughter who lives with her. As a result, she cannot pay for the surgery that she needs, and her adult children are unable to help with the cost. With $790 in funding, Wainuku can undergo surgery and receive five days of post-operative hospital care. AMHF tells us, “We expect after a TAH, the cancer spread will be halted. Wainuku will be well, and she will be able to work and support her family.” “I pray that Watsi will help me and that the surgery will be successful,” says Wainuku.

"My wish is to have a healthy son, one that will have a normal life," shares Andres' mother. Andres is a 9-month-old baby boy from Guatemala. He came to our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK), with a large hernia. "His hernia has grown to the point where it is irreducible," shares WK. "If left untreated his hernia could cause infertility, loss of blood flow to the intestine (strangulation), and immense pain." "His father is a day worker in the fields and does odd jobs to support his family," WK continues. "His mother works to maintain the home and care for their children. Nine people live in their house together." Andres' family cannot afford the treatment cost. Fortunately, we can help. For $565, we can fully fund the life-changing surgery that Andres needs. "This treatment will repair his inguinal canal and allow him to avoid further discomfort and future complications due to his hernia," WK adds. "His parents will be supported both financially and emotionally through the operation and post-op process. They will be guided by our staff through the hospitalization process, and receive counseling. This repair surgery will fix his hernia, and allow him to live a normal life."

Meet 41-year-old Yin from Thailand. She lives with her husband and six-year-old son, who is currently in the first grade. “She has been working as a day laborer on farms and construction sites with her husband for more than four years now,” reports our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “Together, they earn about 350 baht (10 USD) per month; however, Yin has had to stop working because of her condition.” Yin has a uterine myoma—a benign, fibrous tumor within the muscle tissue of the uterus. “Yin’s abdomen is hard and painful due to the mass in her uterus,” explains BBP. “She has difficulty breathing and is unable to be physically active.” “Her condition has forced her to stop work for the past three to four months since her job is very physically demanding, and this has caused financial hardship for her family,” continues BBP. “Even with both Yin and her husband working, the money they earn is not always enough to pay for day-to-day expenses such as food and school fees.” With $1500 in funding, Yin will receive surgery to address her uterine myoma. She will undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, as well as an oophorectomy—procedures that will remove Yin’s uterus, cervix and ovaries. Stage three uterus prolapse—where the pelvic muscles and ligaments supporting the uterus are weakened—calls for specific treatment, as well. $1500 will cover the cost of the operation, hospitalization, food allowance, transport, and pre and post-surgery out-patient visits. “After receiving surgery, Yin will no longer suffer from the symptoms she currently experiences,” says BBP. “She plans to go back to work with her husband and hopes to have another child.” “Yin wants her son to be a teacher when he grows up,” shares BBP. “She wants to be able to support him, so that he is able to become educated.” Yin tells us, “I want to be healthy so I can work and earn money to support my family and provide for my son.”

"Once I am healthy, I will be able to work hard and save money," Soe Win shares. "I will try to donate to the needy. I can see a brighter future ahead of me. When the rain stops a rainbow will appear in its place." Soe Win is a 30-year-old woman from Burma who “likes to spend her time outside of work at the local monastery, helping the less fortunate any way she can," says our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). Soe Win has a uterine myoma -- a condition where uterine muscles develop abnormally and benign tumorous growths called fibroids grow within the uterus. The fibroids increase the pressure on the internal organs, causing abdominal pain. "Soe Win cannot sleep well and it is difficult for her to stand up and sit down," says BBP. Due to this pain, “Soe Win is unable to walk more than a short distance.” “Since she lives alone,” BBP explains, “Soe Win worries that if she does not get better, there will be no one to take care of her.” Though she currently works as a laundress, her income is not enough to pay for the operation she needs. With $1,500, Soe Win will receive a total hysterectomy—a procedure in which her uterus will be removed to prevent the fibroids from returning. “With surgery, Soe Win will not be in pain anymore, and she will be able to sleep well and move around much more easily," BBP adds. Following this procedure, Soe Win is looking forward to being healthy enough to work and go to the temple.

Meet Cho Than, a 53-year-old seamstress and mother from Burma who enjoys planting vegetables in her garden. Known within her community for her generosity, Cho Than often gives the vegetables that she grows to her neighbors and friends. Cho Than has a myoma, more commonly known as a uterine fibroid. Fibroids are benign tumors that grow within the muscle tissue of the uterus, or womb. They can be very small (invisible to the naked eye) or very large (melon-sized) and can present as a single mass or a cluster of several masses. An estimated 80 percent of women have uterine fibroids in their lifetime. While some women who have fibroids have no symptoms, others experience heavy periods, abdominal pain, or constipation. “Cho Than experiences severe pain in her back and lower abdomen,” shares our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “She has difficulty urinating and it is painful for her to do so. Her condition makes it impossible for her to work and requires her daughter to care for her and support her financially.” The recommended treatment for Cho Than is a total hysterectomy and oophorectomy (surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries). $1500 covers the cost of the surgery as well as a seven-day hospital stay and one outpatient appointment post-surgery. “With surgery, Cho Than will be able to live without pain,” reports BBP. Cho Than looks forward to being healthy again and hopes to be able to return to work as a seamstress. She dreams of owning a small house where she and her daughter can live peacefully.

Meet Ann, a 36-year-old wife and mother of six children from Kenya. To support her family, Ann “cleans houses and washes clothes for people,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Additionally, “Ann and her husband are both casual workers and do whatever manual job they can find.” However, recently Ann has been unable to work due to symptoms from an ovarian cyst. Over the past two years, Ann has experienced increasing pain in her abdomen. Upon traveling to an AMHF clinic, “Ann was informed that she had a pelvic mass and an ovarian cyst, and was advised on the need for surgery.” Ovarian masses are fluid-filled cysts attached to the ovary. Typically, these masses are benign and will disappear after a few months. In more severe cases, however, the cysts can grow and develop over several years—thus causing health complications whereby the masses can “turn cancerous” or even “break open,” explains AMHF. $620 will fund a laparotomy—a surgical procedure that involves cutting into the abdominal cavity to remove the cysts currently growing in Ann’s ovaries. This process will prevent the tissue from growing back in the future, giving Ann more peace of mind. Included in her treatment, Ann will receive three days of hospital care and all of the laboratory tests and medication required for a safe operation. AMHF expresses, “We expect that after surgery and recovery, Ann will be able to go back to work with her husband.” “I thank God that he guided us to AMHF where we have met you and will get assisted. All I want is to have my wife well again,” Ann’s husband states.

“Srey Mom a 33-year-old who lives in Cambodia with her husband and three children," says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). Srey Mom spends her free time taking care of her family and cleaning her home. For the past eight years, however, CSC explains, “she has had chronic ear infections, which have resulted in what is known as chronic otitis media.” This long-standing ear infection causes Srey Mom quite a bit of pain. She has a perforated left eardrum, experiences discharge, and has trouble hearing -- issues that have made it very difficult for Srey Mom to perform her day-to-day tasks. With $399 in funding, Srey Mom will receive a myringoplasty—a surgery to close the perforation of her eardrum. Following surgery, CSC reports, “Srey Mom’s ear will no longer release discharge and her hearing will improve," allowing Srey Mom to take care of her home and family.

“I really hope to be able to get a job to provide some support for my family,” shares Tha, a 29-year-old husband and father of four children from Burma. Tha suffers from bladder stones that restrict his everyday activities. Bladder stones are painful, crystallized masses in the bladder that currently put Tha at risk of chronic urinary infection. In 2012, Tha had one of his legs amputated after a serious accident involving a landmine. According to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), “These injuries combined with the pain and chronic infections caused by his bladder stones make it impossible for Tha to work, so he stays home to take care of the children.” While initially from Burma, Tha and his family currently live in Thailand. His wife works hard to support the family, but is unable to take care of her children and cover the medical costs that Tha needs for full treatment. Before his illness, Tha used to love cooking for his family. His wife fondly recalls these memories, sharing that he cooks better than she does. BBP explains that "without surgery, Tha will continue to develop more bladder stones and his infections will only get worse.” For $1500, Tha will receive surgery to completely remove his bladder stones. Surgery will have a positive impact on Tha’s life, freeing him from pain that currently limits his ability to work, and spend time with his family.

Meet Laneta, a talented and caring 42-year-old mother from the Philippines. Laneta has an enlarged thyroid gland, which has greatly affected her daily life. "She cannot sustain the tasks she used to do before as they usually result in a throbbing pain at the back of her head and neck,” says our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). In addition, "Laneta can no longer wash their laundry as efficiently as before for her family," says ICM. "She can no longer cultivate land and clean backyards for hire and can no longer do household chores with ease." She misses doing these tasks that “she used to do with ease and confidence,” says ICM. Unfortunately, Laneta's family cannot afford thyroid surgery. A thyroidectomy will remove her entire thyroid gland and relieve her current symptoms. For $525, we can help provide Laneta with full treatment, including surgery, medication, and transportation and food for Laneta and her caregivers. Government insurance in the Phillippines has contributed $100 toward this treatment. After surgery, Laneta will “gain self confidence as a mother and seek better ways to elevate the quality of life of her family,” says ICM. “I am hoping there will be sponsors who could elevate my quality of life," Laneta shares, "so I can go back to how I used to take care of my family.”

“Blessings is really a blessing to me. I love him so much that I would be a more blessed mother if I ever see him responding to treatment and growing just like any normal child,” shares Blessings' mother. Meet Blessings, a newborn baby boy from Malawi. He has a condition known as hydrocephalus, which is caused by a buildup of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain. Blessings has difficulty feeding as a result of the pressure in his head. “He is malnourished, cannot sit, and is experiencing sight problems,” explains our medical partner, World Altering Medicine (WAM). $992 will fund Blessings’ procedure and post-operative medication, including antibiotics. After surgery to insert a shunt in his head and drain the fluid, "the pressure in the head will normalize and his head will return to normal size,” adds WAM. With your help, this treatment will allow Blessings to develop into a healthy young boy who can play and interact with other children his age.