Molly is a 63-year-old woman from rural Uganda. She farms beans, cassava, maize, millet, and vegetables. In her free time, Molly enjoys visiting friends and relatives. She also is passionate about advising and counseling children in the community. Molly also serves as a board member for a local organization that provides loans to community members. Since childhood, Molly has experienced the effects of having an enlarged thyroid gland. This past year, Molly has had difficulty breathing and speaking, as well as neck pain. Molly could not afford treatment so has been living with her symptoms on a daily basis. Thankfully, Molly was connected to a Watsi care center in her community and was diagnosed with thyroid enlargement, which can be treated with a thyroidectomy. She will need $279 to fund her procedure. After her treatment, Molly aspires to start a business to support local children and encourage their success. She thanks the donors for supporting her journey to wellness.

Kenson is a 12-year-old boy from Haiti who enjoys going to school and listening to soccer games on the radio. Kenson was born with patent ductus arteriosus, a cardiac condition in which the vessel that connects the body's two major arteries, the aorta and the pulmonary artery, fails to close. In turn, oxygen-rich blood from one artery mixes with the oxygen-poor blood from the other, placing strain on Kenson's heart that often leaves him short of breath. Additionally, Kenson was also born with an aortic valve that is too narrow, further complicating his heart's ability to pump blood to his body. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,343 to cover the cost of Kenson's air transportation to his surgery, which is scheduled to take place on July 5. Once at the site of surgery, Kenson will receive the treatment that he needs and will hopefully be able to live more comfortably. "I am excited for my heart to be fixed so I can do more things without getting tired," says Kenson.

Meet Immaculate, a 23-year-old woman from rural Uganda. Immaculate enjoys going to church and meeting with other women in her community. Immaculate and her husband, Barnabas, are subsistence farmers who grow beans and potatoes. Barnabas also facilitates business between the farmers and buyers in the village. During the delivery of her first child, Immaculate developed an uncomfortable condition in a sensitive area. She experiences discomfort and urinary dysfunction. On October 24, Immaculate underwent a repair surgery at our medical partner's hospital, Bwindi Community Hospital. Now, she needs help to fund this $547 procedure. Immaculate hopes that after recovery, she will be able to work and support her family. She says, “I thank the people supporting and contributing to my treatment and care.”

Juana is 70 years old and lives with her family in a humble home made of adobe and tin. Her family owns a small store that sells tortillas and snacks, which is their primary income. Unfortunately, with several small grandchildren and a growing family, this is not enough to pay for even basic food and water sometimes, let alone high-quality medical care or the travel required to get from her rural village to the hospital. Juana has been suffering from type-two diabetes and high blood pressure for many years without being able to take medication. This has caused her to develop cataracts in her eyes, making her nearly blind. This has made it hard for her to do what she loves most, playing with her grandchildren and weaving traditional Maya textiles. If she does not receive treatment, she could become totally blind and require assistance in all her daily activities, severely limiting her independence. $1,500 will cover the costs of the surgery to remove Juana's cataracts, as well as all post-operative care. This treatment will allow Juana to see clearly for the first time in nearly a decade. She will be able to play with her grandchildren, weave, and do daily activities without assistance.

Gumisiriza is a 24-year-old young man from Uganda. His father passed on and he lives with his mother. Gumisiriza went to school up to Senior Four. He has no formal employment, but he volunteers at church as Sacristan. He is happiest when he is serving and praying at Church. Gumisiriza developed a swelling in the epigastric region (upper abdomen) seven years ago. Due to the pain, he is unable to dig, carry heavy items, or walk long distances. He visited a hospital in 2011 and was advised to have surgery, but his mother couldn’t afford to pay for it. Gumisiriza was given medicine which provided him a little relief, but after some time the pain came back. If not treated, the hernia (part of the intestine protrudes through the abdominal wall) could become stuck, leading to damage to the intestine or even the stomach. $249 will cover the cost of the surgery and care Gumisiriza needs. After recovery he hopes to be able to work in the gardens.

Ann is a middle aged woman from Nakuru, Kenya. She is a mother to two children. Her husband has hip problems and has not been able to work since 2013. The family relies on help from neighbors, and they live in a four roomed house, which is incomplete as the husband got sick before its completion. He was the sole provider of the family. Ann used to sell cakes to supplement her family income. She has since stopped as she is not able to walk with ease. In 2013 September, Ann complained of back pains and made several visits to the hospital. She was given pain management drugs. She needed an x-ray which she took after several months due to financial burdens. The images indicated swollen veins and muscle on her back and legs. In 2015, after several clinical visits, she had an MRI done which indicated that Ann had arthritis. Ann is not able to walk or move with ease and has thus stopped working. She has to rely on friends to assist her as her husband is bedridden. If not treated, Ann will continue having a lot of pain and numbness. She risks having permanent disability. Surgery was recommended but she has not been able to raise the amount needed. A spinal fusion will cost $1500, and is expected to significantly improve Ann's condition. “I want to be well to work and provide for my family," Ann shared.

Meet Lai, a 13-year-old girl from Cambodia. Lai is the youngest in her family and has three brothers and one sister. She enjoys watching television and drawing pictures. Lai traveled one hour with her teacher to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment. Lai began experiencing discharge in her right ear when she was 11. She developed chronic otitis media that caused a perforated tympanic membrane, hearing loss, and pain on her right ear. She has received ear drops as treatment in the past from another clinic, but now requires surgery. Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons will perform a right ear myringoplasty to repair the perforated tympanic membrane and stop the discharge. As a result, over time, Lai's hearing will improve.

76-year-old Ruth is a mother of five from Tanzania. Her husband passed away and she currently lives with one of her children. She is a farmer in her small land, providing for her daily upkeep. Ruth began losing her hearing in 2014, but has not had any treatment yet. She was advised to get hearing aids for her case but is unable to raise the amount needed. Ruth recently had hip replacement surgery, which has further constrained her finances. She also has regular hospital visits for diabetes. For $712, we can provide Ruth with hearing aids, allowing her to interact with her children more fully. “I want to have improved hearing to be able to communicate well," Ruth shares.

Bharat, a 45-year-old man from Nepal, broke his arm when he was walking down the flight of stairs of his house. It had been raining the whole night and the water had seeped in from the roof to the stairs. After he injured himself, Bharat was brought to the health post by his son. He was given a sling and told to go to the hospital for further treatment. The X-ray showed that it needed surgery to be fixed. Bharat and his wife work as farmers to provide for his family of six. His eldest child currently studies in the capital city, Kathmandu, while the rest of his children stay with him and go to school. They help the family with cattle grazing and the farms. In order to treat Bharat's fractured arm, he will undergo surgery to realign the bones so they heal properly. Surgery plus four days in the hospital will cost $579. "It's difficult now with this injury," Bharat says. "We rely on farming and it is intensive labour. My children will have to take this on until I get better."

Bosco, an 18-year-old boy from Uganda, is one of four children. To support his mother and help raise his siblings, Bosco left school at an early age to become a brick maker. About four years ago, Bosco was injured when he fell off a truck that was transporting bricks to a nearby construction site. The hall caused him to sustain various injuries, most notably, a broken tibia bone. After the fall, Bosco received treatment from several hospitals for his other injuries but his left tibia bone is still broken, which causes him difficulty in every day life. He still feels pain, especially in his ankle, and limb shortening affects his movements. Bosco details that to receive his previous treatments, “I sold off everything that I had made, and my mother sold off most of the land to help me get this treatment." Because of this, he's unable to afford this treatment for his tibia. Our medical partner, the Kellermann Foundation, can perform an osteotomy and open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) that costs $534 to fix Bosco's tibia. In his free time, Bosco enjoys grazing cattle - he says that it feels rewarding to see a cow graze and produce milk in the evening. He hopes that after the surgery, he will work to save money and buy cattle to produce and sell milk. "I want to thank everyone supporting my care, I pray that God bless you abundantly." Bosco shares. "We sold off almost everything we had but I am hopeful that I will work and get other things to support our family.”

"We would like to ask for help for the treatment of our son. We are greatly concerned for his future," share the parents of 14-month-old Archiel. Archiel lives with his family in the Philippines, and has been diagnosed with unilateral clubfoot. "Archiel cannot walk, he is only capable of rolling from left to right," shares our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). "His mother observed that he has poor locomotive and speech development. This makes it hard for them to address his needs and keep him safe. One parent has to stay in the house and watch him all the time and that prevents his parents to work and sustain their family's needs." "Archiel gives his parents so much joy," ICM continues. "Though he cannot speak or walk, he manages to give happiness to his family by smiling and giggling when he is happy. Those simple moments are greatly cherished by the family. His parents are working together to supply for the needs of the family, but still, their income is not even enough for the needs of the children. That is why it is very hard for them to provide for his treatment." For $1,500, Archiel will receive treatment and surgery to correct his clubfoot. After surgery, "Archiel will be more comfortable in facing challenges in learning and development. As part of him is being treated, this can pave the way that other conditions can also be addressed. This surgery will also increase the quality of life of their family as it address the emotional needs, physical needs, and economic needs that is attached to his condition. With the surgery, he can now also start learning and developing his locomotive skills which will also hasten all other learning stages he has to face in his age," ICM adds. "We have been praying that our time to work for our family will be more than what we can do now," Archiel's parents add, "So the future of our children will be brighter. We also would like our life to become a testimony that God truly touches lives and hearts to help the poor like us. We would like to see Archiel grow, walk, go to school and fulfill whatever dream he has."

Erickarry is a four-year-old boy from Haiti. “Erickarry is a playful and happy child who enjoys going to preschool and playing video games with his brothers," our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) tells us. "He also likes playing with his new baby sister who is two months old. His parents both work in the local marketplace.” “Erickarry was born with a condition called subaortic membrane, in which an abnormal membrane partially blocks blood flow through the aortic valve," explains HCA. "This makes it difficult for blood to circulate normally, and leads to heart failure.” Erickarry needs surgery to restore normal blood flow to his heart and body. HCA has arranged for Erickarry to be transported to a treatment centre where they are equipped to handle his surgery. Gift of Life International is subsidizing this treatment with $5,000, and an extra $1,500 in Watsi funding will cover preparation and transportation costs involved in Erickarry's surgery. When the operation is complete, he should have no more symptoms from his condition. “Erickarry is very scared about the surgery, but we are comforting him because we know he needs it and it will make him better,” shares his mother.