Soy said, "After surgery, I hope I can walk and don’t have pain anymore. I want to help my daughter and grandchildren and enjoy my simple life."Soy is a 77-year-old grandmother from Kampot province, Cambodia. She has a big family - four sons, four daughters, and many grandchildren. One of her daughters is a rice farmer and Soy enjoys growing vegetables around their house to supplement their diet. She likes to cook for her family, take care of her grandchildren, and do housework for her daughter. On May 17th, 2023, Soy fell onto concrete while trying to get out of a hammock. She directly hit her left knee, and an x-ray revealed a fracture of the left femoral neck. Soy's family was not able to afford local care, so Soy's pain went untreated for almost a month. Her neighbor suggested she visit our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Soy and her daughter traveled for three hours seeking treatment for her pain and inability to walk. On July 4th, surgeons at CSC will perform a hip hemiarthroplasty procedure on her left hip. This will help her to regain mobility. Soy and her family need help to raise $544 to fund her procedure and care. This will include surgery, implants, medications, and hospital care.

Deborah is a nine-year-old student from Haiti. She lives with her parents, several siblings, and her grandparents. She enjoys singing and listening to music in her free time. Deborah has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect, where a hole exists between the two upper chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without properly circulating through her body, leaving her feeling sick and weak. To receive treatment, Deborah will fly to Dominican Republic. On March 2nd, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will sew a patch over the hole in her heart so that blood can no longer leak through it. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is also contributing $8,000 to pay for her surgery. Deborah's family needs help raising money to fund the costs of her surgery prep. The $1,500 prep bill covers labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner who will accompany Deborah's family overseas for her surgery. Deborah's father shared, "our family has been praying for years for this surgery to happen, and would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping!"

Chean is a mother of four from Cambodia. She has one son and three daughters. She is a housewife. She likes to spend time with her neighbors. Ten years ago, Chean developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing her blurry vision, itchiness, burning, tearing, and photophobia. 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 Chean learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. Chean 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 $201. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for December 3. She says, "I hope my surgery is successful so my vision is clear and I can go outside on my own again."

Sophal is a 50-year-old farmer with two sisters and one brother. She likes to do housework and work on her farm. Since she was a child, Sophal has experienced ear discharge in both ears, hearing loss, and otitis media, an inflammatory disease of the middle ear. She also developed a cholesteatoma, an abnormal skin growth, in her left ear. She is in pain and has difficulty communicating with others. Sophal was referred to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), from an organization in Phnom Penh that provides ear healthcare services. She traveled for two hours with her husband to seek treatment. On November 23, CSC surgeons performed a mastoidectomy procedure in Sophal's left ear to remove the cholesteatoma. After recovery, her ear discharge should stop, and her hearing should improve. Now, she needs help to fund this $842 procedure. "I hope to have good hearing," she says. "I want to be able to communicate with people easily."

Chanthou is a 27-year-old farmer who has two sisters and two brothers. He likes to read magazines and watch boxing on TV. In December 2011, Chanthou was robbed. He suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder blade, which damaged his arteries. As a result, his right arm was paralyzed. After three months of treatment at a hospital in Phnom Penh, movement of his shoulder and flexion of his elbow improved. However, the flexion of his right wrist and fingers remained impaired. When Chanthou learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for five hours to seek treatment. On November 2, CSC surgeons performed a tendon repair surgery. After recovery, Chanthou will regain function in his right hand. Now, he needs help to fund this $450 surgery.

Kefri is a 6-month-old boy from Guatemala. His mother is very worried about her son because he is not growing, has little appetite, and is getting sick often. This is because his diet lacks protein, calories and nutrients. Kefri has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, he began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016. Kefri is a sweet baby who loves to snuggle and play with stuffed animals. He lives with his parents and five older siblings in a one-room adobe house. His father works as a day laborer on a local plantation. His mother works in the house, cooking, cleaning, and weaving traditional Mayan textiles. Although both his parents work hard, they cannot afford this $512 treatment. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Kefri recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Kefri a chance to grow healthy and strong.

Neema is a three-month-old girl from Tanzania. She was born with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain. She underwent a shunt insertion to drain the fluid from her brain. Unfortunately, Neema's shunt has been malfunctioning. On November 15, she underwent a revision surgery to replace the old shunt with a new one. "We really hope that the doctors can help Neema get better," says her mother. Neema is the youngest of six children. Her parents are subsistence farmers. They were referred to our medical partner's care center, The Plaster House, by the parents of another child who also received treatment for hydrocephalus. Neema's parents cannot afford healthcare. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $775 to fund this procedure.

“Cheptores is a beautiful and happy seven-year-old girl, the fifth born in a family of six,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Cheptores is currently in nursery school. She enjoys school very much and is sad that she has not been able to attend over the last couple of months.” Seven-year-old Cheptores "was bitten by a snake while she was sleeping two months ago,” reports AMHF. “She developed a large wound on her hand as a result of the bite and has not been able to attend school since.” Her wound is not healing and thus requires surgery to remove damaged tissue and prevent further complications. “If the surgery is not done soon, Cheptores is likely to suffer infection, which could lead to amputation of the hand.” Cheptores’ family is unable to afford the procedure necessary to treat her wound. “Her parents both work as casual workers on neighboring farms in order to support their family,” explains AMHF. Her uncle continues: “They need every cent they earn from work in order to put food on the table.” With $940 in funding, Cheptores can receive a debridement and skin graft procedure to remove dead tissue from her wound, transplant skin to the afflicted area, and repair tendon or nerve damage, improving the healing potential of remaining healthy tissue. This cost subsidizes surgical supplies, hospital stay, medicines, laboratory work, and physiotherapy. “We expect that after the surgery and recovery, the wound will heal and Cheptores will no longer be at risk of infection,” says AMHF. “She will be able to go back to school next term.”

Daniel is a 15-year-old boy from Haiti with throat cancer. Before the tumor emerged on his neck, Daniel loved going to school and playing soccer and marbles with his friends. When his tumor got large enough, Daniel dropped out of school because he was embarrassed. Now, he is too weak to attend school. He is losing weight because he can't eat normally with the painful tumor in his neck. He also coughs constantly and has trouble hearing. "Daniel needs help to get over this illness," his mother says. "I want him to go back to school to learn to read because I didn't have the chance to do that." With our support, Daniel and his mother will leave his six older sisters behind and, with the help of Project Medishare, travel to the Dominican Republic to seek treatment. The cost of treatment includes their passports and visas, transportation, expenses of radiation therapy, and food and a place to stay for the duration of Daniel's treatment.