Ly is a 62 year old husband and father, living with his wife and youngest child in Cambodia. Ly's wife sells clothes at the local market, while Ly stays at home, playing chess with his neighbor, reading and exercising. For the past six months, Ly has experienced problems with his right middle finger, which is stuck in a bent position. This issue is usually the result of inflammation within the tendon sheath of the finger. Ly cannot straighten or flex his finger, and it is swollen and painful, which makes it difficult for him to carry out simple, everyday tasks. Ly is also concerned that his finger will be permanently bent in its current position. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. Ly will undergo a surgical repair of his right middle finger on October 7th, at Kien Khleang Rehabilitation Centre. The surgery should correct Ly's situation, and enable him to return to a healthy and productive life. Ly needs your support to fund the $572 required to cover the cost of the procedure, medicines and post operative care. Ly told us: "I hope after surgery my hand gets better with no pain or swelling. I want to work with this finger and hand again so I can enjoy my life."

Sorn is a 63-year-old grandmother from Cambodia. She is married and has one son and two grandchildren. Sorn lives with her husband, who is a farmer, and her son, who makes and sells firewood. One year ago, Sorn developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her to experience eye tearing and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. When Sorn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On September 1st, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Sorn says,"I hope my vision will improve and I can see clearly again."

Nancy is a bright and social 12-year-old student from Tanzania. She is the youngest in a family of three children. Her and her siblings are being raised by their grandparents with the help of amazing well-wishers, since their grandparents are older and appreciate the extra help. Nancy currently attends primary school, and her favorite subjects include Swahili, mathematics, and social studies! She is very friendly and loves to play netball with her schoolmates. However, playing is becoming increasingly difficult due to her condition. Nancy has clubfoot of the left foot. Clubfoot is a condition where the foot is twisted out of shape, which causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Nancy and her family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 15th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $935 to fund Nancy's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk easily. Her grandmother says, "Nancy and her siblings have been in my care since they were babies. We struggle to raise them. That's why well-wishers help. Unfortunately, they can’t help her with her treatment. Please help us."

Horn is a 54-year-old loving grandmother. She is married with two sons, three daughters, and 11 grandchildren. She lives with her husband who is a construction worker in Kratie province - a far eastern province along the banks of the Mekong River. When not caring or cooking for her family, she enjoys watching the news and movies on TV. Two years ago, Horn developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing her tearing, itching, and blurry vision. Doing laundry, cleaning, or cooking has become difficult for her. 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 Horn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for seven and a half hours seeking treatment. Horn 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 $225. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for October 17th. Horn shared: "I hope after surgery my eye will feel comfortable and stop irritation so I can do housework well."

Saean is a 28-year-old delivery driver working in the capital city of Phnom Penh. He is married and has a three-year-old daughter. His wife is a garment worker. He likes to play tennis and football, read, listen to music, and fish. Saean was in a traffic accident in April and injured his right forearm. After the accident, he went to a hospital for an x-ray but decided to get treatment by a Khmer traditional healer instead. His condition did not improve and his neighbor told him to try visiting our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). There, he was diagnosed with a right radius fracture with ulnar styloid, swelling, and pain. CSC put a cast on his arm for 4 weeks and his pain has decreased, but now it is time for screw fixation to fully heal his right radius fraction. Fortunately, surgeons at Children's Surgical Centre can help. On June 7th, Saean will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $483. This procedure allow him to move his arm easily again and finally heal from the accident. Saean says, "I'm hoping my right forearm fracture is fixed so I can work again without pain."

Elinipa is a beautiful two-year-old girl. She is an incredibly friendly child who loves to play with her five older siblings. At birth, she was a healthy child. It wasn't until she was learning to walk however, that her mother noticed that her legs were slightly curved, yet even so they did not seek treatment assuming it was a minor problem that she would outgrow. Elinipa has now been diagnosed with bilateral valgus, which is a condition caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result of her condition, Elinipa's legs bow inward to the point that her knees touch. This makes walking persistently more difficult as she continues to grow. Through our medical partner's outreach program her parents learned that their daughter needs surgery to correct her legs. Elinipa's parents are small scale famers who depend entirely on what they harvest to make a living. As a result, their income is not enough to afford to take Elinipa to the hospital to treat her condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Elinipa. The procedure is scheduled to take place on May 13th at our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. With this treatment Elinipa's mobility will hopefully be restored, thus allowing her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decreasing her risk of future complications. Elinipa’s father says, “I am worried with how her legs continue to bend inward. Please help us.”

Maureen is a small-business owner and a single mom to three children. She moved near the capital city of Nairobi to start her business as a food hawker, cooking and selling Asian, Islamic, and local cuisines. For about ten years, Maureen has been experiencing abdominal pain, headaches, dizziness, and other worrisome symptoms. This condition has made it challenging for her to operate her business. She visited our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), and doctors diagnosed her condition as cystic adenomyosis. To heal she needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Fortunately, AMH can help Maureen finally heal. On April 29th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at the care center, so she can resume her daily activities free of pain once she recovers. AMH is requesting $755 to fund Maureen’s surgery. Maureen shared, “This condition has affected my normal life, even taking care of my children is a problem, and the doctor told me surgery should be done soon. I am humbly requesting help so that I can be back to my normal self to continue caring for them.”

Ei is a 15-year-old girl from Thailand who enjoys reading books and playing soccer! She lives with her grandparents, her parents, and her two brothers. She and her younger brother are both students. Her father is a construction worker, her mother is a homemaker, and her grandparents are both retired. On August 11th, Ei broke her right lower leg while playing soccer with her friends at school. As she went to kick the ball, she unfortunately slipped on the wet, muddy ground. She is currently experiencing a lot of pain, cannot put any weight on her leg, and is unable to stand up. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Ei will undergo surgery to reset her fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for August 11th and will cost $1,500. The goal of this treatment is to allow her leg to heal in the proper position and help her walk again. Her father says, "I want to say thank you so much to the donors for agreeing to support my daughter's treatment cost."

Santiago is a charming four-year-old boy from a mining community in the mountains of central Bolivia. His parents both work in office roles at a local mining company. Santiago enjoys watching cartoons and making new friends. He also loves to dress up as his favorite superheroes like Spiderman, who he aspires to be when he grows up! Santiago was born with a ventricular septal defect, a cardiac condition in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of the heart. Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him weak and short of breath. Fortunately, Santiago is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on July 26th with the support of our long-standing medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance, which is now growing and expanding into Bolivia. Surgeons will close the hole with a patch, allowing blood to properly flow through his body and improving his quality of life. Another organization, Gift of Life International, is contributing $2,500 to pay for a portion of Santiago's procedure costs. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to cover the remaining costs, which cover surgical expenses, cardiac exams, medications, and travel fees so Santiago and his family can travel to receive his life-changing cardiac procedure in La Paz. Santiago shares, "I hope that after my surgery, I will grow up to be Spiderman!"

Nimo is a 3 year old girl, living with her grandmother in Ethiopia. When she was just a few months old, Nimo's parents gave her to her grandmother, as with four other children already at home and Nimo's medical condition, they were unable to take care of Nimo. Nimo's grandmother, who has a small business, was already supporting four other people, so she shared that it is hard for them to survive from day to day. Nimo was born with a congenital malformation, that led to a blockage in her intestines. At first, when Nimo began to show signs of this condition, her family didn't have the funds to take her to the hospital. By the time someone provided funds so that Nimo could get to the hospital, she was weak and underweight from malnourishment. An emergency colostomy was performed, and over time, Nimo gained strength, and is now able to run and play with her friends. However, she still has multiple issues that require medical attention and additional surgery to help her fully heal. Nimo is scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her condition on July 5th, at BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Nimo's procedure and care. After her recovery, Nimo will no longer experience bowel dysfunction, or be at risk of developing related health complications in the future. Nimo's grandmother says: “When she heals, I will go to my home and celebrate with my family. ”

Woldegibreal is a 10-year-old boy, living with his parents and two younger siblings in Ethiopia. He is an intelligent and loving boy, who helps his parents around the house, and with looking after his two siblings. He also loves music and playing football. Woldegibreal was born with a congenital abnormality, which leaves his bladder exposed to the open air, and leaking urine directly into his abdomen. Because of this, Woldegibreal is prone to infections and injury to his bladder, and suffers from constant pain and discomfort. There is a surgical procedure which can correct Woldegibreal's condition. However, even though his parents work hard on the land that they have, they are unable to sustain their family, due to the poor harvests which result from the hot and dry area where they live. They survive with support from others and are unable to cover the costs of Woldegibreal's surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is seeking $1,500 to cover the cost of the life-changing procedure for Woldegibreal, scheduled to take place at BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre on May 24th. This procedure will enable Woldegibreal to heal, and to enjoy a full and healthy life. His father shared: “If he gets the surgery we will faint in happiness. We will bless all who helped him. We will send him to school. And we will lead our life with thanksgiving and gratitude.”

Gatguon is an 8-week-old baby girl from a remote area of South Sudan. The civil war in South Sudan has made it difficult for many to access healthcare and treatment, including Gatguon's family. Gatguon was born with swelling in the back of her head. Upon referral to Old Fangak Clinic, the doctor diagnosed Gatguon with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Gatguon is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Gatguon urgently needs spina bifida repair surgery to correct the condition and reduce risk of infection. Unfortunately, this treatment is not available for her in South Sudan. Dr Jill Seaman and her team at Old Fangak Clinic facilitated Gatguon’s travel to Kenya – a long and difficult journey for a sick baby. Now, doctors at our medical partner's care center in Kenya will perform the surgery she needs. Gatguon’s parents have two kids. Her mother is a stay-at-home mom and her father is a vegetable farmer. They are hopeful that baby Gatguon will be treated and that they will continue taking care of her and loving her unconditionally. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Gatguon's family raise $1,151 to cover the cost of spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on April 20th and will hopefully spare Gatguon of further complications and allow her to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Gatguon’s mother shared, “We hope that our child will be treated.”