Sakun is a 69-year-old rice farmer living in Cambodia. She is married with five sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. Sakun likes to go to the pagoda to listen to monks praying and listen to the news on the radio. Two years ago, Sakun developed blurred vision and tearing in each eye, making it difficult to see things clearly or work. She worries about permanent vision loss. She heard about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), from her sister. She traveled with her daughter to CSC for evaluation. Sakun's doctors diagnosed her with cataracts and recommended surgical intervention. She needs a phacoemulsification surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye, which will replace her internal lenses and restore her vision to full clarity. In total, the procedure, supplies, drugs, and four days of inpatient care will cost $292. Her procedure is scheduled for February 24. Following recovery, Sakun will have restored vision in both eyes.

Brenda is a 15-year-old girl who is expecting her first child. She lives with her grandmother, Jeninah, and her siblings. During her free time, Brenda enjoys dancing, telling stories to her siblings, and teaching them how to weave mats and baskets. Jeninah is a subsistence farmer who grows ground nuts, beans, millet, and maize. Because she is young, Brenda's doctors consider her pregnancy to be high-risk. They recommend that she receive medical attention before, during, and after labor to ensure a safe delivery. On November 29, she will begin to receive supplements and attend antenatal checkups and health education classes. She will deliver her baby in the hospital, and her baby will be examined by a midwife. After birth, Brenda and her baby will be monitored by the hospital staff. "I am grateful to the people who are supporting her treatment," says Brenda's grandmother.

Seyha is fifteen years old and in the eighth grade. He has two sisters and one brother. He likes to watch TV and play with other children. Seyha has a dermoid cyst, a noncancerous lump, in his left eyebrow. For this reason, he experiences headaches, pain, and discomfort. When Seyha's parents learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), the family traveled for six hours to seek treatment. On November 29, surgeons at CSC removed the cyst. After recovery, Seyha will no longer feel pain. Now, his family needs help to fund this $224 procedure. Seyha shares, "I hope to have a normal face and no headaches."

Aneti is a 30-year-old woman from Uganda who enjoys chatting with her friends. She is a subsistence farmer, renting land to grow crops for food. During the delivery of her first child, Aneti developed an uncomfortable condition in a sensitive area. She has experienced pain and urinary dysfunction for ten years. On October 26, Aneti underwent a repair surgery at our medical partner's hospital, Bwindi Community Hospital. Now, she needs help to fund this $547 procedure. After recovery, Aneti hopes to return to her former job as a cook at a local primary school. “Thanks very much to the donors, and may God enrich their helping hands," says Aneti.

Yi is a 56-year-old woman from Cambodia. She is married and has one son, one daughter, and two grandchildren. She enjoys listening to monks praying and joining ceremonies at the pagoda. For about six months, Yi has had cataracts in both eyes that cause her blurry vision, and make it difficult to do any type of work or to go outside. For $292, Yi will undergo cataract surgery in both eyes. After surgeries, she will be able to see clearly agin. Yi says, "I hope I can see clearly again so I can easily look after my grandchildren."

Meet Jennifer, a wife and mother of two children from Kenya. Her eldest child is in secondary school, while her youngest is three years old. Together with her husband, Jennifer tends to her small piece of land in the semi arid areas of Kenya. Jennifer’s siblings are not employed and have families, thus supporting her treatment is quite a burden to them. In April 2015, Jennifer felt a small swelling on her right breast and sought treatment from different hospitals. However, the swelling did not disappear, and she had to travel over 300km to our facility in July 2016. She had a fine needle aspiration (FNA) done in our facility and was diagnosed with breast cancer. If not treated, the cancer may spread and lead to early death. She requires a mastectomy, or removal of the cancerous tissue, but is not able to meet the $740 treatment cost. Jennifer says, “I want to be well and be there for my children”. Let us help Jennifer access the medical care she needs.

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.

23-month-old Kervens was born with two holes in his heart: one between the two upper chambers, the other between the two lower chambers. Blood leaks through these holes without first passing through the lungs to get oxygen, leaving him sickly and weak. Because of the nature of his condition, the only way to know whether surgery is possible for Kervens is to first do a diagnostic cardiac catheterization, in which a catheter probe is inserted into his heart in order to take detailed measurements. The results of this test will determine whether he is operable, and if he is, his doctors will then go on to arrange surgery. This procedure is not available in Haiti, so he must travel to the Dominican Republic to undergo the test. Kervens is a very calm and happy child who likes to be carried and to meet new people. Kervens lives in northern Haiti with his mother, aunt, and an older sister. His mother is currently unemployed and looking for work, and so the cost of the diagnostic test that her son urgently needs is beyond her financial means. "My family is all praying that the test will go well and Kervens will be able to have his surgery," Kervens’ mother shares.

Ericka is a 10-month-old girl from Guatemala. She traveled over five hours with her family to make it to our clinic. She suffers from a rare genetic disorder called propionic acidemia. This means that she cannot metabolize proteins in a normal way, and for this reason she has to have a very low-protein diet. Ericka lives with her family in a rural community in the Pacific coastal region of Guatemala. Ericka loves to eat strawberries and play with her mother. Her mother is unable to work because of Ericka's special needs, making it difficult for her to be able to make money to support Ericka's medical care. Ericka needs to receive a full diagnostic workup to identify any brain abnormalities that may have been caused by not eating a diet that her body can tolerate. Currently, she still cannot sit up on her own, and likely will not be able to for a while--because of her condition. Also, she needs a special diet in order to avoid the risks of high ammonia in the blood, stroke, and sudden death. $1,385 will fund diagnostic testing for Ericka, and allow her medical team to determine the best course of treatment for her moving forward. Funding will also go toward her initial treatment. "Our dreams are to see her grow one day, and get better," Ericka's mother shared. "Maybe she could learn to walk. We appreciate the support we will receive for our baby."

47-year-old Phon lives in Cambodia with his wife and two sons. When he is not working on the farm or at the factory, he enjoys spending time at home and cleaning the grounds around his house. Last year, "Phon was in a moto accident and fractured his right tibia," reports our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). "He walks with crutches now and is in pain." Phon needs surgery to properly fix his leg. However, even working two jobs, Phon does not make enough money to pay for these medical expenses. He travelled three hours with his wife to reach CSC, and for $405 doctors will perform an ORIF procedure to align Phon's fractured bones. Once aligned, the bones will be secured with pins so that they can properly heal in the right position. After his operation, Phon will be able to walk again free of pain. "When I am healed I will go home and find a job," Phon shares.

"I want to be a doctor, to help poor people," shares nine-year-old Dennis, a boy from Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us that "Dennis has poor hearing and experiences difficulties in pronouncing words. This gives him difficulties socializing with other children and performing well in school." Dennis has sensorineural hearing loss, which means he has low sound perception. AMHF shares, "If not assisted with the hearing aids, Dennis will have poor performance academically and socially." Dennis' parents are both casual laborers who pick tea on large scale farms to support their family, but Dennis' mother told AMHF that her husband was laid off from his job due to frequent absences for taking Dennis to the hospital. To afford Dennis' treatment and their older son's school fees, AMHF tells us that "his parents sold heir cows and now have a heavy financial burden." For $712, Dennis will receive hearing aids to correct his hearing loss and allow him to better hear those around him and his own voice, so that he can better pronounce words and speak with ease. These hearing aids will allow him to learn and socialize more easily and excel in school. In their pre-operative interview at the hospital, Dennis' mother shared: "My heart will be at peace if Dennis grows as a normal child."

This is Sonita, a 27-year-old factory worker from Cambodia. She is one of six children, and enjoys cooking and helping her family on their farm. "Sonita was seven when she began experiencing bilateral ear discharge and pain," our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), explains. "Over time this has perforated the tympanic membrane on both sides." Her condition is also known as a ruptured eardrum, and can cause pain, bleeding, and hearing loss. Sonita details the significant discomfort that her ruptured eardrums cause: "I have ear pain and it is difficult to communicate with other people," she shares. "I cannot go to work at the factory some days when my ears are very painful." Sonita travelled two hours with her mother to reach CSC for proper medical treatment. For $598, doctors at CSC will perform a myringoplasty first on her left side and then six weeks later on her right side to close the perforations in her eardrums. "After each myringoplasty, the discharge will stop and her hearing will improve in that ear," CSC shares. With proper treatment Sonita will be able to live her life without the constant pain and discomfort she has had for most of her life. She will be able to return to her home and work happy and healthy. "I hope my ear stops having discharge and I have good hearing," Sonita expresses.