“I only want to say thank you, I am so grateful that you will help me again,” says Khin Shwe, a 38-year-old mother from Thailand. Khin Shwe was a previous patient with our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), and Watsi donors funded a total abdominal hysterectomy to remove Khin Shwe’s uterus after doctors diagnosed her with a uterine myoma. Unfortunately, since that operation, she developed an ovarian mass—necessitating removal of her left ovary through an oophorectomy procedure. “In July, after her first operation, Khin Shwe could still feel the mass in the right side of her abdomen. Now, the mass is 19 cm by 23 cm—it is so large it can be seen through her abdomen and is causing her a lot of physical discomfort,” explains BBP. Along with being painful, the mass is causing Khin Shwe to lose weight quickly. “I want to eat a lot, but I cannot, my abdomen becomes even bigger when I do—it is so uncomfortable for me, I feel stuffed all the time and I cannot sleep well at night,” she describes. Since Khin Shwe returned from BBP’s clinic in Burma, she has been staying with her daughter, who works at a factory, and her husband—a security guard at a local factory. BBP continues, “It is painful for her when she sits down and stands up, she only walks a little and slowly. At home, she can cook rice and clean a little, but she cannot carry anything. She just prepares the curry for when her husband and daughter return from work.” For $1,500, Khin Shwe will undergo a second oophorectomy. This time, doctors will remove her right ovary and the painful, growing tumor. Funding will also cover a seven-day hospital stay, transportation to BBP’s hospital clinic and food throughout her recovery. BBP adds, “After surgery, Khin Shwe will be able to go back to see her father in Burma,” who recently suffered a stroke. “She will be able to help her mother take care of him.” “When I arrived at the clinic, the midwife encouraged me and told me that the organization that helped me before will be able to help me again. I am so thankful that I will get a new life,” shares Khin Shwe. “When I am healthy I will go back to see my father—I know that it will be the last time. I pray for my father—I was so confused I had to think about my father’s condition and my condition so I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t get treatment because I had to take care of my father.” Let’s help end to Khin Shwe’s medical issues so she can care for her children and her father.

Kaung is a two-year-old boy who lives with his grandparents in Thailand, and enjoys playing with his toy cars. His grandfather brought him to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), seeking treatment for a bilateral talipes equinovarus, more commonly known as bilateral clubfoot. In children with clubfoot, the foot is twisted out of position due to short tendons in the foot and ankle. Approximately half of children with clubfoot have the condition in both feet, as is the case with Kaung. “Kaung cannot walk because of his clubfeet,” BBP tells us. “When he tries to walk, he cries and screams, ‘Pain! Pain!’” Kaung’s parents, who work as gardeners at a rose plantation, live in the same village as Kaung, but they are unable to provide financial support for their son because of debts they must repay. For $1,500 in funding from Watsi and an additional $750 from Burma Children Medical Fund, Kaung will undergo surgery to release the tendons in his feet and ankles. Doctors will then move his feet into the proper position and place them in casts for up to two months. After the casts are removed, Kaung will wear braces for a year or more to maintain the proper position of his feet. “Kaung will be able to walk and run after successful surgery,” says BBP. Funding also pays for pre-surgical consultations and imaging, an eight-day hospital stay, lab work, and pain medicine for Kaung. "I hope that Kaung will get surgery, so he will be able to walk and play as he so much desires,” shares Kaung’s grandfather. “It is very important that he can walk. I want him to go to school, and if he can't walk, it would make his life so much harder for him.”

Two years ago, 65-year-old Boeun developed a cataract in his left eye. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us that due to his condition, Boeun experiences blurred vision, tearing, and he is afraid of sunshine. Boeun, who is married with two sons, two daughters, and four grandchildren, enjoys watching social news on TV and doing exercises in the evening. Though the cataracts have made him unable to work, he looks forward to searching for a job after he received treatment. "I want to work as a Taxi driver to earn some money to support my family," he says. For $150, Boeun will undergo a short, widely practiced eye surgery. The clouded lens in his left eye will be removed and replaced with an artificial substitute. Within a day of the surgery, Boeun will regain his vision.