Shankar is a 28-year-old man from Nepal. While he was loading stones onto a truck, a large stone fell on his left leg and fractured his toe. Since then, he has been in pain and has had difficulty moving the injured foot. Shankar visited the primary health post near his village. He was diagnosed with a fractured toe and was referred to our medical partner's hospital, Bayalpata Hospital. To seek medical treatment, Shankar and his family drove for two hours to reach the hospital. He underwent a fracture repair procedure on December 23. Shankar lives with his wife and children. He is a microfinance officer, and his wife works in the field and looks after their children. They need help to fund this $541 procedure.

Tulikyaroki is a 61-year-old father of ten living in Uganda. Tulikyaroki is a farmer, and sometimes does casual labor to earn a little more money. Currently, though, he has no source of income because he is unable to dig or work. About three years ago Tulikyaroki developed a swelling in his right inguinal area, near his groin. He went to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a hernia and was advised to have surgery. Because he couldn’t afford to pay for his surgery, Tulikyaroki decided to use traditional herbal remedies, but these have not helped him. Tulikyaroki’s hernia has been causing him backaches, and due to the pain he is unable to dig, lift heavy items, or even walk long distances. This means Tulikyaroki cannot do the farm work from which he usually earns his livelihood. Furthermore, because his wife has a hernia as well, neither Tulikyaroki nor his wife (Watsi patient #8631) can complete household chores. The couple must depend one of their daughters, who lives with them, for domestic tasks from digging to cooking. Besides these setbacks to his daily life, if Tulikyaroki is not treated, he may suffer intestinal obstruction, incarceration, or strangulation. These are potentially fatal complications where parts of the digestive tract become cut off from blood flow or blocked from moving waste through. Fortunately, though, there is hope for Tulikyaroki. Hernia repair surgery could save his life. And although he cannot afford to pay for this procedure on his own, we can fund it for $220. This sum will also cover the medications and two-week hospital stay he’ll need to recover from the procedure. After surgery Tulikyaroki hopes to regain his strength and resume digging so that he can be able to support his family. He shares, “Both my wife and I have hernias but we are unable to pay for our treatment. We are requesting your help. Thank you.”

One-month-old Josephat is the first born to his parents, who are both young and live in Tanzania. Josephat's mother stays at her mother-in-law’s home while his father labors on the family farm. “Even though Josephat has multiple deformities, he feeds well and he is a quiet baby when he is not wet, hungry, or hurting anywhere,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Josephat was born with myelomeningocele, commonly known as spina bifida, a neural tube defect in which the bones of the spine do not completely form, resulting in a small sac of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) extending through an opening in the spine. Currently, Josephat’s opening on his lower back is leaking CSF, and he can easily contract infections. “Apart from the lesion on his lower back, Josephat also has other congenital abnormalities, such as an amniotic band on his right hand and unilateral clubfoot,” adds AMHF. Many babies with spina bifida also have too much cerebrospinal fluid in their heads, a condition called hydrocephalus. As this is true in Josephat’s case, he will need additional surgery to relieve intracranial pressure. For $1200, Josephat will undergo two surgeries. First, the lesion on his back will be closed, which will prevent further loss of CSF and protect him against infections. Secondly, surgeons will place a shunt to drain excessive fluids from Josephat’s brain, thereby treating his hydrocephalus. His mother hopes “that something can be done so that her son can grow up like other children, and even have the ability to walk.” These operations will give Josephat a chance to live a normal life.

Meet Christine, a six-year-old girl living in the Philippines with her family. “Christine loves to be with her friends and desires to play with them,” reports our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). “She is friendly and loves to draw.” Christine has a lipoma, a benign tumor of fatty tissue on her body. “Christine is experiencing body weakness and fatigue because of her condition,” ICM explains. “This hinders her to excel and perform better at school. Also, she can’t do her daily activities well because she often feels tired.” $785 will cover the cost of the tumor removal for Christine, a procedure that will improve her health and allow her to perform better in school and interact longer with her friends. Christine’s procedure is partially subsidized by PhilHealth, the Philippines' national health insurance program. “This treatment would mean a lot to us and our daughter,” Christine’s parents share. “This will give us peace of mind that there will be nothing wrong with our child and that nothing bad will happen to her. We want to see her play more with her friends and enjoy childhood just like any other kid.”

"I want the doctors to help my mother breathe with ease,” says the son of Sabi, a 65-year-old mother and grandmother who lives in Nepal. “Sabi has been suffering from breathing problems for a few years now,” our medical partner, Possible, tells us. “She started smoking young in life. Working in the dusty field, and cooking indoors with firewood aggravated her situation.” Sabi has been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition in which the airways become narrow and damaged, making it hard to breathe. While smoking is the most common cause of COPD, breathing toxic fumes or gases can also be triggers. Symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, fatigue, wheezing, and coughing. “Because of her old age, she is not as active anymore, and her pulmonary disease makes it worse for her,” Possible continues. “She wheezes when she speaks, gets breathless often, needs help even walking a little distance, and, currently, she has high fever, too.” Sabi’s family owns a small shop that supports Sabi, her two sons, their wives, and their thirteen children. The family does not earn enough money from the shop to cover basic needs and pay for Sabi’s medical care. With $270 in funding, Sabi can be admitted to the hospital for four days to improve her breathing. While hospitalized, she will be monitored closely while receiving supplemental oxygen, nebulizer treatments, inhalers, and medications to help open the airways in her lungs. Funding also pays for two outpatient follow-up visits at a community health center. “With oxygen therapy and intake of antibiotics, it is expected that Sabi can breathe with much ease,” shares Possible. “Her fever will also be under control and she can do the basic activities she used to.” Let’s help make that happen!

Meet Nai, a 68-year-old farmer and husband from Cambodia. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us, “Nai is married with three children and five grandchildren, and enjoys spending time talking with his neighbors.” CSC explains, “A few years ago, Nai got hit in his eye by a big piece of wood. Our doctors say that contributed to the cataracts in his eye now. He only has one good eye, and now his vision is very blurred in it. He had real difficulty doing work on the farm and going places by himself.” Cataracts are a condition—caused by age or trauma—in which a structure develops over the eye lens, causing blurred vision, which can worsen over time. When they reach maturation, cataracts can lead to swelling and cover the entire lens with an opaque layer. With $150 in funding, Nai will receive surgery to remove the cloudy lens from his eyes, replacing it with a clear lens implant. Following surgery his vision will be restored. CSC shares, “After his surgery Nai looks forward to returning to work on his farm, planting vegetables around his house and not worrying about his safety while traveling alone.”