Nickson is a 5-year-old boy from Tanzania. Both he and his older brother live with and are being raised by their hardworking mother. She single-handedly supports her children by working as a secretary. Two years ago, Nickson mother took him to a hospital where he was diagnosed with genu valgus, a condition that causes his leg to bow inward. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Nickson has difficulty walking and is at risk of developing more complications as he grows up if the condition is not corrected. Although the hospital he visited provided him with medication, it did not improve his condition. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner's care center can help treat his condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Nickson, which is scheduled to take place on August 5th. Treatment will hopefully restore Nickson's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Nickson's mother says, "I am a single mother with no husband supporting me. I try hard to provide, but it is not enough to afford my son's treatment cost."

Nelvis is a very playful baby boy and the only child in his family. He was born when his mother was still a student in secondary school, form three. She had to take a break from her studies for some time to take care of her newborn baby. They do not receive any support from his father. Early this year, she resumed schooling and Nelvis is under the care of her aunt. When he was born, Nelvis' mother first noticed that something seemed different for Nelvis and his aunt also shared the concern. Nelvis’ grandmother advised them to bring him to BethanyKids Hospital for treatment. Upon arrival, he was examined and diagnosed with cryptorchidism where one or both of the testes fail to descend. The medical team has recommended surgery to cure his condition. If left untreated, Nelvis has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Nelvis will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on June 21st. Now, Nelvis and his family need help raising $646 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Nelvis' mother says, “When I learned that my son needed surgery, I was very much worried and stressed out as I have no money to cater for the surgery.”

Said is a talkative, friendly and playful 4-year-old boy who loves to play football and to watch movies. Said's family consists of three other siblings, his mother, who is a housewife, and his father, who is a day laborer getting work whenever he can. Because of a medical condition, Said's legs bow outward and his knees don't touch, which caused difficulty walking. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting $880 to fund a procedure that will take place on April 22nd to restore Said's mobility. This treatment will enable him to participate in a variety of activities as he grows and also decrease his risk for future complications. Said’s mother says, “The economy is not good and finding work is getting hard. The little money I get goes to food. If you can help my son have this treatment, I would be very grateful.”

Jane is a loving mother from the Philippines. She has an adorable 8-month-old baby boy. Jane works as as a municipal administrative aide, while her husband works as a contractual college teacher. However, even with their combined salaries, they still cannot afford to cover her medical treatment. In 2019, Jane began to experience troubling symptoms, including a painful, palpable mass on her neck. She was diagnosed with a nodular goiter, which is a solid or fluid-filled lump that forms within the thyroid. However, due to financial constraints, she opted to take the doctor’s prescribed medicine to alleviate the symptoms instead of having the surgery she needs. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is helping Jane finally undergo treatment. She is scheduled for a thyroidectomy on May 3rd at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $1323, and she and her family need help raising money for this life-changing care. “Once this surgery is done, I won’t have to endure this pain. Thank you World Surgical Foundation Philippines and Watsi for this opportunity to be treated. Now, we don't have to worry about where to get the money for my treatment,” Jane shared with relief.

Ann is a 45-year-old woman from a remote area in Kiambu County of Kenya. She is married and they have four children. Ann takes care of their house and children without a source of income and her husband works as a driver. What he earns is just enough to cater to their family needs and children's education. Transportation is a great challenge where they live. To come to the hospital today, Ann left her house at 4 a.m. to make it to Nazareth Hospital by the morning time. Since the age of four, Ann started having on-and-off bouts of tonsillitis. Two of her children, as well as other family members, have already undergone tonsillectomy, but she has not yet managed to be healed. Over the past year, she has been repeatedly needing to go to the hospital and has had many injections. She has been experiencing neck pain, swollen and infected tonsils, headaches, and earaches. The ENT surgeon has advised her to have her tonsils removed. Ann’s husband has coverage under a national health insurance plan, but her surgery was not approved for support. Our Medical Partner African Mission Healthcare is now helping to raise $565 to cover her treatment. "Our insurance is currently having issues, but I can’t wait to have the tonsils removed. They have disrupted my normal life and the injections are too many and even more painful than the tonsils. I am pleading for support so that I can get over this problem, to regain my normal life, and take care of my family," said Ann.

Sina is a 36-year-old security guard. He has one brother and one sister, and his father works as a tuk-tuk driver to help support their family. Sina works as a security guard for a non-governmental organization, and enjoys listening to music, watching TV, playing games on his phone, meeting up with friends, and helping his mother in his free time. Three years ago Sina developed pain on his right hip. He has a history of leukemia and psoriasis, which he receives treatment for at Mercy Medical Center Cambodia. It was when Sina came in with hip pain that they referred him to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). He was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and now cannot walk due to the pain and instability of his hip. Fortunately, on February 23rd, Sina will undergo a total hip replacement at CSC which will relieve his pain and allow him to walk and work more easily. Our medical partner is asking for $1,087 to help Sina in paying for his procedure. Sina said, "I am thankful that I can return to work once I am healed. I look forward to being free of pain."

Rebecca is a very talkative and friendly woman. In September 2020, she noticed that her belly had started to increase in size and she thought she was pregnant. During one of the clinic visits, the doctor wanted to listen to the baby’s heartbeat but found there was nothing to listen to so they sent her for an ultrasound. The results revealed an ovarian cyst and her doctor advised her to seek for urgent review in a different facility. At the time, Rebecca did not have money to go for checkup. Her belly grew bigger as time went by and in August, her brother offered her help to support some of her hospital visits. She started visiting different hospitals but could afford them. Her brother recommended she try visiting Kijabe Hospital and upon arrival, she was examined and later was scheduled for surgery. Rebecca was employed as a tailor, but lost her job due to her health last April. Since loosing her job, she works doing casual jobs, like laundry work and cleaning houses and shops for people. In her new line of work, it is still hard to make ends meet and she shared that she now relies on her friends for connections to put food on the table. Learning that she might be able to have financial support for her surgery, Rebecca has new hope for the future. She said, "I’m very happy that at least there is some hope that I can get treated.”

Chorn is a hardworking man from Takeo province in Cambodia. He has three daughters and ten grandchildren. He lives with his wife who is a farmer. In his free time, Chorn likes to play with his grandchildren and listen to the radio. Chorn had an unfortunate electric burn on his right arm and chest last month. After the burn, his family took him to a local clinic for medication, but his wound has become infected. The skin on his right arm and chest has necrosed. Chorn has a loss of sensation on the fifth finger, the muscle has wasted away and he is in a lot of pain. He and his wife travelled two and a half hours to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for a diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, surgeons plan to do a debridement and exploration of the ulnar nerve on the right arm to help him. Chorn needs $541 to cover the surgery, inpatient care and medication. After surgery, Chorn hopes his right arm will function and his wound heal soon. He shared how important it is for him to use his hand again to be able to work and feed his family.

Nat is a 48-year-old farmer from Cambodia. He is married and has 3 daughters and 4 grandchildren. Two of his daughters are married, and the other lives at home and is a seller of fish in the local market. His wife is a farmer and a fish seller too. For at least 7 months, Nat has experienced pain in his right hip. He was treated at a clinic by injection but only had brief relief from the pain. He visited our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) in April but was unable to have surgery due to the pandemic. Nat returned recently and is in constant pain from his right hip. He is unable to walk without a crutch, his gait is unbalanced, and he is now unable to work. At CSC, surgeons can perform a total hip replacement to relieve Nat of his pain and allow him to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for November 24th, and Nat needs help raising $1,087 to pay for this procedure. "I hope the pain in my hip will go away and I can return to farming and supporting my family," shared Nat.

Lazaro is a 7-month-old baby and the first child of his parents. Lazaro's parents are small-scale farmers who grow maize, beans, and vegetables for their income. His father also seeks out labor work to create extra income for the family's expenses. Lazaro was born with clubfoot in both of his feet, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape and causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Lazaro's mother experienced this same condition growing up and received treatment through Watsi's medical partner in 2019. As a result, she has first-hand experience regarding the challenges of living with this condition and shared that, before treatment, she experienced discrimination and difficulty walking and carrying out daily activities. However, after her surgery, her self-esteem improved, and she could engage in everyday activities. Lazaro's family traveled to our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. On October 26th, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery, which will enable Lazaro to walk easily. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $890 to fund this procedure. Lazaro's mother says, "I was sad that he was also born with clubfoot just like me, but I had hope that if I traveled here, you would help correct his feet. Please help."

Soriya is a 49-year-old seller of children's cookies. She lives with her husband who is a policeman. Together they have two children: one son and one daughter. Her son is married, while her daughter still lives at home. She likes to cook, exercise, and watch Khmer movies on TV in her free time. Two years ago, Soriya had a severe ear infection. The infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Soriya experiences severe ear aches, ear discharge, and pain. She visited a private hospital and received ear drops, but her symptoms did not improve and it is difficult for her to hear and communicate. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Soriya to receive treatment. She traveled to visit CSC's care center where, on September 14th, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her left ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Now, CSC is requesting $925 to fund her procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Soriya shared that she hopes that the ear infection will finally stop and her hearing will improve.

Naw Dah is a 40-year-old woman who lives with her husband, four daughters and three sons in a refugee camp in Northern Thailand. Six of her children attend school in the camp, while Naw Dah looks after her youngest daughter at home. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, her husband has had difficulty finding work outside of the camp for the past few months. The family survives on money they receive through a food card each month from an organization called The Border Consortium. Since 2016, Naw Dah has suffered from frequent, painful urinary tract infections. After she received an x-ray at a local hospital in April 2020, she was referred for further treatment and diagnosed with kidney stones. She received treatment in September 2020, but at follow-up appointments, the doctor told her that she still had fragments of the kidney stone, and she returned for multiple x-rays and oral medications. During her most recent follow-up in August 2021, the doctor told her that the stones are now 6mm in size and scheduled her for another ureteroscopy. She is unable to pay for surgery and was referred our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), for assistance accessing treatment. On September 3rd, she will undergo a ureteroscopy and now, she needs help raising $1,500 to fund her procedure and care. Naw Dah shared, "I am a bit scared as I already underwent treatment twice, but I really want to get better. So I put my trust in God and I will go through this pain again so that I will be free from this pain in the future."