Ezra is a very talkative and active boy. He would like to be a truck driver when he grows up. He's in grade five and the last born in a family of five children. A few years ago, his father fell into a deep hole he was digging and broke both of his legs. He has been recovering well but he is still unable to work. His mother, who is the sole breadwinner of the family does farming, ploughs farms, and does laundry for their neighbors to provide for the family. The family can not raise the required funds to cater for Ezra’s surgery. Ezra was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility. Fortunately, Ezra is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on October 19th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $847 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Ezra’s mother says, “I was really worried that my son will not get treated but now at least I’m very hopeful that he will.”

Bo is a 16-year-old student. He's in eighth grade and lives in the school dormitory in the Tak Province during the school year. His parents and his siblings live on the Thai-Burma border. His brother and his mother are day labourers while his father is retired. During his free time, he likes to play the guitar, cook, and garden. In May 2021, Bo began to experience pain in the top of his left arm, close to his shoulder. In June 2021, the top of his left arm began to swell until it spread towards his shoulder. The swelling is now very large, encompassing his left shoulder and upper arm. Bo is in a lot of pain and cannot use his left arm. He cannot lift it, nor carry anything due to the pain and the swelling. Bo sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. Bo is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on August 18th. He is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. "I want to become a policeman one day but I do not know if this will be possible," said Bo.

Paw is a 59-year-old woman who lives with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters in a refugee camp. In her free time, Paw like to feed her three chickens and sing gospel songs. She also loves looking after her granddaughters at home when their mother is teaching. On a late evening earlier this month, Paw was walking home in the rain when she slipped and fell on the muddy road. She accidentally hit her forehead against a tree stump and tried to break her fall by sticking out her right arm. Right after she fell, Paw experienced a sharp pain in her right arm and forehead. Her son and daughter-in-law brought her to the camp hospital, where Paw was given stitches for her forehead as well as pain medication, and her arm was put in a splint and a sling. The medic then referred her to another hospital, where she was finally admitted at two days later when a car became available to take her. At the hospital, Paw received a X-Ray and was told that her right wrist is broken and requires surgery. With her hand wrapped in a bandage, she was referred to our medical partner's care center, Chiang Mai Hospital, for further treatment. Currently, Paw cannot move her right wrist, not even to lift her hand. Without more pain medication, her hand and forearm experience severe pain with any movement, so Paw has to be careful to keep her right hand straight. Because of this, Paw cannot complete her daily chores nor look after her grandchildren. Fortunately, with the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Paw will undergo surgery to reset her fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for July 23rd and will cost $1,500. This surgery will help Paw move her hand around and resume her daily activities again with ease. “I want to get well soon so that I can go back to taking care of my grandchildren,” Paw said. “They are waiting for me at home to go back to my daily life. Now, I have to come for my treatment and there's nobody look after them. It is hard for my daughter in-law.”

Hillary is a three-year-old boy and the only child to his single mother. Hillary's mother works at a local safari company as a receptionist and through this work she is able to earn enough to support Hillary. Hillary has been diagnosed with genu varus, which means that his legs bow outwards. The condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Hillary has difficulty walking and is unable to walk long distances. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Hillary. The procedure is scheduled to take place on May 7th. It will hopefully restore Hillary's mobility, allowing him to participate in a variety of activities and greatly reducing his risk of future complications. Hillary’s mother shared, "my son needs this treatment but we are stranded because his insurance cannot cover the surgery cost. Please help since I don’t think I will ever be able to save enough to afford the treatment cost."

D is a 38-year-old man who lives by himself and used to wash cars in a mechanic's shop until his accident. Unfortunately, he had to quit his job because of his condition and he has had no income since. On April 2nd, his friends asked him to pick mangos. After climbing up the tree, the branch he was holding onto suddenly broke and he fell onto a rock. He broke his right lower leg in the fall. Unable to stand up by himself, his two friends supported him and arranged for his transportation to a local hospital. At the hospital, he received an x-ray and the doctor wrapped his lower leg in a bandage. He scheduled a follow-up appointment for the following week and went home. However, D did not go back to the hospital because he had no money. Two weeks later, he visited a local clinic because he was still in pain. He was referred to our medical partner's care center where an x-ray showed that he had broken both of the bones in his right lower leg and he was told that he would need surgery. Currently, he cannot walk and experiences pain in his lower right leg when he moves. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, D will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for May 23rd and will cost $1,500. This surgery will help D walk again and he will be able to find work after he has made a full recovery. D shared, "I lost my job after my leg was injured. I no longer have an income or a place to live. I do not have anyone I can depend on and I feel like I have no more hope living with this condition."

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."

Alex is a 20-year-old high school student from Haiti. He lives with his parents and younger brother in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. When he's healthy, he enjoys dancing and playing drums in church. Before his most recent illness, he was in his final year of high school. Alex has a cardiac condition called mitral regurgitation. When Alex was a child, he became infected with rheumatic fever which severely damaged one of his heart valves so that it could no longer pump blood through his body. Four years ago, surgeons in the Cayman Islands repaired Alex's existing heart valve in order to avoid replacing it with an artificial valve. This repaired valve worked well for three years, but then began to have difficulty pumping blood as well. Doctors now need to implant an artificial valve to replace the valve that is no longer working well. Alex will fly to the Cayman Islands to receive treatment. On April 7th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will remove Alex's damaged valve and implant a mechanical replacement valve. Another organization, Have a Heart Cayman Islands, is contributing $20,000 to pay for surgery. Alex's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Alex's family overseas. Alex shared, "I am looking forward to this surgery so that I can get back to attending school and going to church."

Ninsiima is a 43-year-old farmer from Uganda. Ninsiima is married and is a mother to four children with three daughters and with one son, all are studying at secondary levels in school. Ninsiima dropped out of school at sixth grade when she was young due to lack of school fees. She currently earns a living from small-scale farming growing food crops like beans, maize, millet and sorghum for home consumption, but often sells off the surplus to generate an income to her family. Her husband works as a builder. Three years ago, Ninsiima began to experience troubling symptoms, including shortness of breath. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Ninsiima receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 1st at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Ninsiima says: “I hope that I will be able to have a new life after surgery and continue with farming to sustain my family.”

Lan is a 63-year-old fisherman from Cambodia. He has three sons, five daughters, and ten grandchildren. Lan lives with his wife and enjoys keeping up with the news in his free time. Five years ago, Lan developed a pterygium in right, causing him burning, irritation, tearing, redness, and discomfort with his appearance. 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. When Lan learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for more than two and a half hours with his wife seeking treatment. Lan 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 his procedure is $216. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for August 11th. Lan said, "I hope after the pterygium is removed I can feel comfortable again and go fishing more to support my family."

Brian is a nine-year-old boy from Kenya. He is the only child in his family. Brian was born with bilateral clubfoot, which due to lack of resources, ended up being neglected. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. In May 2020, with support from Watsi donors, Brian had a successful postmedial release on his right foot. He now requires surgery to correct his left foot as well so that he can walk easily and with better balance. His family is not able to raise funds needed for the cost of his care. Brian's father is a carpenter and his mother is a farmer. Their combined income is not enough to meet the required cost of surgery. Brian's father is grateful for the support they received for his first surgery. Now, the family once again appeals for help.  Fortunately, Brian traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. Surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on January 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Brian's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily again. Brian's father shared, “I lack words to express my sincere gratitude to God, CURE and Watsi for the great support they have rendered to us, indeed you have been of great help to us. We were in despair because of our son, but you have restored hope to our family. We are witnessing to people of what you have done to us. Be blessed."

Theary is a 52-year-old teacher from Cambodia. She has two daughters, and enjoys cooking for her family, cleaning the house, and tailoring clothes in her free time. When she was a child, Theary had a serious ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her left ear to perforate. For this reason, Theary experiences hearing loss, tinnitus, discharge, headaches, and infection. She cannot hear others clearly when they speak, and she often has a difficult time speaking with others. Theary traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 25th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her left ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. "I hope that after my surgery, my ear infection will stop and my hearing will improve," she said.

Zawadi is an eleven-year-old girl and the firstborn child in a family of three children in Tanzania. She is a friendly and cheerful girl. Zawadi was born healthy but when she was six years old, she was involved in a fire accident that left her with severe burns on her arms, hands, and fingers. On the fateful day, Zawadi and other children were playing cooking games behind their hut. One of the children went and picked a burning piece of wood from the kitchen and was trying to make a fire for them so that they could cook. Zawadi was the one blowing the fire and while doing this her clothes caught fire. She was wearing a sweater and had wrapped herself in Maasai clothing. She was severely burned resulting in five months of hospitalization during her initial treatment. Her wounds healed but have left her unable to straighten her left arm due to the contractures on her axilla. Zawadi has been scheduled for surgery to help release the contracture on her arm so that she is able to wear clothes and make her life a bit easier when trying to use her hands. Her parents are small-scale farmers who have a few cattle that they depend on for milk. Their income is not enough for them to afford Zawadi’s treatment cost and they are asking for help. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Zawadi receive treatment. On October 13th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery and skin graft so she will be able to utilize her hand with greater ease. Now, her family needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Zawadi’s father told us, “If my daughter is able to have this surgery she will be able to have more range of motion on her arm making her life easier than now. Please help because we can’t afford the treatment cost.”