Antony lives with his younger sibling and mother at his grandmother’s place in central Kenya. Now that his parents have parted ways, his mother does casual tasks such as laundry and farming for their neighbors. Despite being single, she strives to give her children the best. At the age of six months, doctors at a local clinic confirmed that Antony had a right undescended testis. His mother was advised to wait until he was two for treatment, as there was a probability of having the testis descend on its own. Once Antony turned two, Antony’s family could not afford to bring him to the hospital. For $540, doctors at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), will be able to have an orchiopexy, surgery that will move the undescended testicle into the scrotum and permanently fix it there. Without treatment, Antony may develop a hernia, become infertile, or have testicular cancer. “I feel helpless that I cannot give this (treatment) to Antony as much as I would love to," shares Antony's mother. "I will appreciate if I get help from Watsi to fund for my son’s surgical care."

Pyinnyar, a 40-year-old monk from Burma, likes to meditate and pray. He has been living in Rangoon at the monastery since 1999, when he moved there from the home he shared with his parents, two younger sisters, and two younger brothers. Pyinnyar first started noticing symptoms when he was 17 years old, as he had numerous fevers. However, he was not diagnosed. When he moved to begin studying monk education, he became ill with a fever that lasted 15 days. Pyinnyar was admitted to a hospital and diagnosed with rheumatic mitral stenosis, a heart condition in which the mitral valve narrows and prevents proper blood flow into the left ventricle of the heart. Over the years, Pyinnyar was admitted to the hospital many times and advised to have surgery, but he could not afford to pay for the treatment he needed. Instead, he began numerous medications that worked for a short period of time but were gradually no longer effective. He then resorted to alternative care-- a traditional Chinese treatment where he was bled from the back of the knee three times a month and ingested Chinese herbal remedies every day which he felt were effective. While he managed his heart condition for some time, his condition dramatically worsened in 2014. He experienced chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, inability to walk long distances, right upper abdomen tightness, loss of appetite, nausea, and a heavy feeling in the legs. Overall, Pyinnyar feels very depressed and has lost his self-esteem. He feels he has lost his masculinity, independence, and the ability to fulfill his duties as a monk. However, we can help fund the $1,500 procedure that will rehabilitate Pyinnyar. Doctors will perform surgery to repair Pyinnyar's faulty mitral valve, thus enabling him to return to the monastery and accomplish his many goals. After his surgery Pyinnyar hopes to regain his health and be able to walk very far, preach and teach meditation, save money through preaching donations, and be able to improve the schools and houses in his village.

Meet Samnang, an eight-year-old boy living in Cambodia. Samnang loves to play, whether it’s by himself, with toys, or with companions. He has one younger sister. For over seven years now—almost his entire life—both of Samnang’s ears have had chronic inflammation, a condition known as otitis media. This causes his ears to leak discharge frequently, and has also created small holes in both of his eardrums. As a result, Samnang has lost much of his hearing, and has trouble speaking. Samnang experiences discomfort in his ears on a daily basis. And his disease could have longer-term repercussions for him, as well, if he is not treated. Because Samnang's hearing and speaking abilities are so delayed, he is not able to attend school—a difficult setback, if it remains permanent. For $598, we can sponsor the operations Samnang needs: a myringoplasty in each ear. During this procedure, doctors will close the holes in Samnang’s ear drums using skin grafts from elsewhere on his body. He will receive the operation in his left ear in June, and will then receive the operation in his right ear about six weeks later. His funding will also cover the two-day hospital stay that Samnang will need to recover from each surgery. After the operation, the discharge and pain that Samnang has been experiencing will stop. Over time, his hearing will improve. Samnang will also be given access to speech therapy at CSC free of charge. Let’s put Samnang back on track to communicate more easily with those around him, and to return to school.

Sary is a 72-year-old grandfather living with his family in Cambodia. He is married with two sons, three daughters, and ten grandchildren. He enjoys feeding the cows and listening to the monks pray on the radio in his free time. One year ago, Sary started having blurred vision, and became unable to do his work or travel alone safely. He and his niece visited our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). He was found with a cataract in each eye, and was recommended surgical treatment. Sary is in need of a phacoemulsification and an intraocular lens implant in each eye, which will replace his internal lenses and restore his vision to full clarity. In total, the procedure, supplies, drugs, and three days of inpatient care will cost $225. Sary's family needs financial assistance to complete payment. With restored vision, Sary will be able to continue to live his life independently.

Liam, a playful two-year-old boy, is the only child to his parents and lives with his family in a single-room house in Kenya. Liam’s parents earn a small income by finding casual day jobs such as manual labor in construction sites and doing laundry for people in the neighborhood. When Liam was only two weeks old, his mother noticed while giving him a bath that his left testis did not descend to the scrotal sac. If Liam does not receive surgical care he may suffer complications such as inguinal hernia, testicular cancer, or infertility. Liam's parents were advised by his aunt to seek help at Bethany Kids, a hospital partner of Watsi's medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). With their humble income, they are unable to fully raise funds for Liam’s surgical procedure. $540 will cover the cost of treatment for Liam. He will undergo orchidopexy surgery to move the undescended testis to the scrotum. “I love my son and hope that he gets treated," Liam's mother said. "Thank you to all those willing to support his well-being."

Tol is a 36-year-old farmer. He is married with one son and two daughters. He traveled three hours with his mother to reach Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment. Tol fell down in April 2016 and fractured his right elbow. He can't hold anything with his right arm and is in pain. He has received Khmer tradition medicine (KTM) treatment, but this has been ineffective. Surgeons at CSC will perform an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure to treat the elbow fracture. The surgery will consist of realigning the broken bones to ensure that the arm heals properly. After surgery, Tol will have good function of his right arm again. The treatment will cost $405, and covers the cost of checkups and casts along with the surgery. When he's not working on the farm, Tol enjoys watching TV and listening to music. Once he heals from the ORIF procedure, Tol will be able to go back to work again.

Lan is married with four sons, three daughters, and seven grandchildren. She enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen the monks pray. Lan developed a cataract in each eye one year ago. This causes her blurred vision, pain, and she can't get around easily on her own. The condition commonly affects the elderly population due to age-related changes in the eyes. Cataracts occur when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, resulting in functional blindness. Lan traveled three hours with her daughter to reach Watsi's medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) for treatment. After a small incision cataract surgery (SICS) and intraocular lens (IOL) implant in each eye, Lan will be able to see clearly again. "I hope I can look after my grandchildren and can go anywhere more easily than now," Lan shares with us.

Meet Seng, a 68-year-old man from Cambodia. Seng is married with three daughters. He enjoys reading Buddhist religious texts and visiting the pagoda to join in ceremonies. He traveled seven hours with his friend to reach CSC for treatment. Seng developed a cataract in each eye four years ago. This causes him blurred vision, burning, and makes it difficult for him to get around easily on his own. Cataracts typically occur in the elderly from age-related changes in the lens causing them to become cloudy. The cloudy lenses make it difficult to see, and can lead to blindness if gone untreated. $225 covers the cost of a commonly practiced procedure to treat cataracts. Seng will receive surgery to remove his cloudy eye lenses and replace them with clear lens implants.

Khoun is an 81-year-old grandmother living in Cambodia. She is married with three sons, three daughters, and 20 grandchildren. She enjoys visiting the pagoda to join in ceremonies and prayers. Khoun traveled 2 hours with her daughter to reach CSC for treatment. About one year ago, Khoun started having blurred vision and tearing from both eyes, and became unable to travel independently with her vision impairment. She visited our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), and was found with a cataract in each eye. Her doctors at CSC recommended she have surgery to resolve her vision impairment and restore clarity. They would perform an extracapsular cataract extraction and an intraocular lens implant in each eye, which will replace her internal ocular lenses. In total, the procedure, supplies, drugs, and three days of inpatient care will cost $225. Following her surgery, Khoun will have restored vision and her discomfort will be resolved. She will also have her independence again, and will be able to visit the pagoda on her own.