Geoffrey is a 64-year-old farmer from Uganda. Geoffrey is a husband, father, and grandfather. He loves to tell stories to his young grandchildren about hunting and fishing when he was younger. In his free time, he also enjoys visiting with friends and listening to medical programs on the radio. Recently, Geoffrey's prostate gland began to swell and the pain has rapidly increased. After visiting our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation, it was recommended that his prostate be removed to decrease his pain and restore full mobility. Geoffrey is now scheduled to undergo prostate removal surgery on June 3. Although Geoffrey was able to contribute $7 to the cost of his procedure, he is still in need of $314 to cover the rest of the expenses. “Please tell the donors thank you from me," says Geoffrey. "I will ask God to bless them in all that they do.”

Mu is a fifteen-year-old girl from Burma. She lives with her aunt, uncle, and three cousins. Her aunt and uncle run their own shop that sells drinks and juices, where Mu and her youngest brother also work. Her parents have their own farm where they grow rice. They are all currently saving money in order to buy a house. In her spare time, Mu enjoys reading fictional stories. Four years ago, Mu started to feel pain in her stomach. Despite the pain, she did not visit a hospital or clinic. Last July, a heavy object fell on Mu's stomach. Her aunt brought her to the hospital, where she was told that she had a mass of blood in her abdomen. In other words, Mu had a hemangioma, a benign tumor made up of a bundle of blood vessels. Per the doctor's recommendation, Mu visited our medical partner's care center. Now, she is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the tumor on January 11. Our medical partner is requesting $1,500 to fund the labor cost, supplies, lab tests, and medication needed for the procedure. Mu shares, "In the future, I would like to run a juice shop of my own in the village where I am from."

Maung Pay is a 25-year-old man from Burma. He lives in a village with his father, his stepmother, and his younger brother. His father owns a rubber plantation, and he also grows sesame. Maung Pay helps his father on the plantation, but he does not have any income of his own. In November, Maung Pay was in a motorcycle accident. He sustained many cuts from the tall grasses along the side of the road. Soldiers transported him to a nearby hospital, where the staff sutured his wounds but could not stop the bleeding. Muang Pay and his father crossed the border into Thailand to seek treatment from our medical partner’s care center, Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). Maung Pay was still bleeding when he arrived at the clinic. A medic examined his right foot and found two bone fractures. He stayed at MTC for three days before he was sent to our medical partner’s hospital, Mae Sot General Hospital, for an x-ray. The x-ray showed that his toes were broken, so the doctor inserted metal rods onto his toes. Maung Pay gained function in his foot, but he was still in pain. On December 22, Muang Pay underwent an internal fixation procedure to fully repair his fractured toes. Now, he needs help to pay his $1,500 medical bill. “If I am fully recovered, I would like to go back to work with my father and my stepmother,” says Muang Pay.

Romart is a 17-month-old boy from the Philippines, who is dearly loved by his parents. He enjoys playing and entertaining his mother by dancing, and he giggles a lot. Romart was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia. His parents are worried for him, but they could not bring him to a doctor because their limited source of income is from collecting garbage and selling it in a small junk shop. On occasion, Romart's father works as a "sakada", a sugarcane laborer in the fields near their town to earn $3 a day. His parents just want what is best for Romart, and after surgery they hope Romart will grow up normally like other children. "We really couldn't believe that help could be given to us. At first, we were afraid that Romart needed surgery, but the doctor explained to us that this is the best way for Romart to heal. I am very thankful for your help and I pray for a successful surgery for my son," his mother shared. $1,437 will fund the hernia repair surgery that Romart needs. Let's help make it possible.

Meet Leandra, a one-month-old girl from Guatemala with a severe case of malnutrition. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK) explains, “Leandra has been losing weight and getting sick frequently, due to her severe case of malnutrition. She has lost weight since she was born because her mother cannot make enough breastmilk to help Leandra grow.” “This has made her mother very stressed and upset, because Leandra cries all the time due to her hunger. In an effort to make her stop crying, she has been giving her sugar water, which has made her gain a little weight, but puts her at risk of diarrhea, starvation, and seizures due to the lack of calories, antibodies, and electrolytes,” WK shares. “Leandra is the second child in her family. She lives with her parents and older sister in a one-room house made of wood. Her mother works at home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Sometimes, she goes out and helps her husband look for wood to chop and sell, all the while carrying Leandra on her back. Her husband also works fishing in the nearby lake, and sells the fish he catches. Although they work hard, they often do not have enough money to buy even basic foods for their family, and often make less in a month than what formula costs," WK continues. $1,016 will cover the cost of Leandra’s treatment, which involves supplying Leandra with formula and her mother with health education. Her mother said, "I am so thankful to the donors that think of my daughter and want to help her."

Five-month-old Abdulkerim loves playing and laughing in the home he shares with his parents and seven siblings in Ethiopia. “Abdulkerim was born with a birth defect called anorectal malformation,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. This defect is characterized by the absence of an anal opening and an inability to pass stool. “Abdulkerim developed a bowel obstruction because of this condition,” explains AMHF. “An emergency colostomy was [performed] when he was three days old.” During the colostomy procedure, doctors pulled an end of the colon through a cut in the abdominal wall and sutured it in place to create an opening for passing stool. To complete his treatment, baby Abdulkerim needs two additional operations. The first surgery is an anorectoplasty to create an anal opening, followed by a colostomy closure three months later. Abdulkerim’s father, a farmer, is the sole provider for the family. “I decided to sell the one cow I have because nothing is more important than my child,” he shares. “The [other] hospital [couldn’t] do the surgery because what I had was not enough. I was broke and worried.” $1,500 covers the costs of the final two surgical procedures and inpatient care, including labs, imaging, pain medicine, and antibiotics. “We expect that after an anorectoplasty followed by a colostomy closure, Abdulkerim will be able to pass stool on his own,” says AMHF. “Coming [to AMHF] and seeing the hope through this sponsorship program, I am now full of hope, praying for the opportunity,” says Abdulkerim’s father.

Mamerta is a 45-year-old mother from the Philippines. With her husband, she runs a small business selling snacks. “In her spare time she is fond of making delicious snacks for her children,” our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM), tells us. Mamerta has developed a goiter; an abnormally enlarged thyroid gland. This manifests as a bulge in her neck. Because of the goiter, “Mamerta experiences physical discomfort when she does many things, such as carrying heavy things, working house chores for long hours, and there is slight discomfort when eating solid food,” explains ICM. Mamerta needs a thyroidectomy, or surgical removal of her thyroid gland. This surgery would normally not be affordable for Mamerta, as she and her husband barely bring in enough income from selling snacks to support themselves and their children. However, for $1,500, we can fund the procedure she needs. Not only will funding cover Mamerta’s thyroidectomy, but it will also pay for her transportation to and from the hospital, and all post-operative care. “Thank you so much for paving the way to my healing,” Mamerta shares. “After the treatment, I am excited to feel better and take care of my family without any difficulty.”

Though she doesn't like to be photographed, Melisa is a happy baby. She loves to play in her baby walker, and is overall a very calm 11-month-old girl. At almost a year old, Melisa’s mother had no idea that her daughter was suffering from malnutrition. After paying a visit to our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), in Guatemala, her mother was informed that her daughter’s regular fevers were the culprit of a weakened immune system. Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world. “Melisa is below both the height and weight curve for her age, and if she does not receive attention she will be at risk of the long-term effects of malnutrition,” explains WK. “Her immune system will continue to weaken and she will be at risk for other illnesses and infections. Her brain and body will experience limited development, the effects of which will follow her into adulthood.” Melisa’s family is working hard to support the health of their growing daughter. Her mother works to embroider textiles and her father is a coffee farmer. Still, they are short of funding medical needs for their daughter. With $512, Melisa will receive treatment that includes growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and medication to help recoup and get her back on track with normal growth. In addition, her mother will also receive proper nutrition education to prevent the effects of malnutrition throughout Melisa’s childhood. In advance, her mother expresses her gratitude for the donations that will give her daughter a chance to live a healthy and productive life, “Thank you for wanting to help us. I could never have imagined this.”

“I just want to have a healthy baby,” says the mother of Marvin, a two-month-old baby boy who lives with his parents and six siblings in Guatemala. “Marvin has no access to breast milk or formula. His mother says that after having six children over 17 years, she simply does not have enough breast milk left," says our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). "Marvin is always crying because he is hungry.” Because of this lactational failure, Marvin has limited access to nutritious food, which has impeded his development. "Marvin is very underweight for his age, and his height is far below the average as well," WK says. Marvin's father works as a day laborer, and doesn't earn enough to afford formula. Without intervention, Marvin is not only at risk for acute malnutrition, but also starvation. For $1,016, Marvin can receive treatment to avoid the adverse effects of lactation failure. “This treatment will supply Marvin with the formula he needs to grow and develop well, both mentally and physically,” WK explains. WK also has a program for his mother in order to ensure that this treatment will produce long term improvements. "His mother will receive education on how to prepare the formula, and our staff will help her prepare for when he starts to make the transition to solid food in a few months," WK adds. "All in all, this treatment will save Marvin’s life and help him get his health back on track.”

Meet 15-day-old Delia, who lives with her family in a rural village in Guatemala. She is the youngest of her six siblings. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), explains that Delia’s mother has lactation failure, which is when a new mother produces either insufficient or no breast milk at all. “Delia was born with a healthy birth weight of 7 pounds, but after 12 days she had lost weight and made the nurses at the health center very worried,” shares WK. Her mother is not producing enough breast milk, and consequently Delia is not receiving enough calories to survive. “I am eating certain foods and trying to make my milk thicker for my baby but it is just not enough,” she explains. For $1220, Delia’s mother can receive treatment and educational support to help Delia's condition improve. “This treatment will provide the family with lifesaving formula that will provide Delia with the calories and nutrients she needs to grow,” says WK. “Her mother will participate in one on one education classes to help her not only use the formula, but understand when and how to start implementing solid food into her daughter’s diet to prevent malnutrition.” WK explains that lactation failure is easily treatable. “I appreciate that you want to help us,” shares Delia’s mother, “I want to see my daughter grow up and be healthy like other children.”

Meet Emebet, a six-month-old baby girl from Ethiopia. Emebet lives with her mother and father in a remote village, where her father works to support the family with a limited income. “Emebet was born with a congenital anomaly, and as a result, she could not pass stool,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “A colostomy was done recently to relieve Emebet from the partial intestine obstruction. This condition and use of a colostomy is hard on Emebet's mother.” For $1,500, Emebet will receive surgery to remedy the anorectal malformation. “This surgery, anorectoplasty, involves forming a new anus so that Emebet can pass stool normally,” says AMHF. “Three months after this surgery, the final surgery (colostomy closure), will be performed.” Emebet will be able to pass stool and lead a normal life. “Emebet's mother hopes that she will send her daughter to school once she is of age and healthy,” shares AMHF.

This is Elia, an eight-year-old boy from Tanzania. Elia is a previous Watsi patient who first presented with a swelling in his left cheek. He was subsequently diagnosed with a giant cell tumor, and underwent curretage, marsupialization and reconstruction, followed by weekly intralesional injections for six weeks. The procedure was a success as the mass decreased in size. However, while it was expected that Elia’s face would have regressed and bone healed, Elia's swelling did not completely disappear. He needs another surgery to completely remove this mass so as to avoid a pathological fracture of his mandible. For $920, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, can perform a mass excision surgery to help Elia heal properly. "We saw some good changes after the first surgery," his mother shares. "We hope that the second surgery will show even better results, leaving Elia with his normal face."