Ma Chi is a 13-year-old student from Thailand. She lives with her family in Mae Pa, Mae Sot District. Ma Chi loves to study and play with her sisters in her free time. About two months ago, Ma Chi played football at school. The next morning, she woke up with blurry vision and with a swollen right eye. She also had slight pain in her right eye. Thinking it was not a big problem, she went to school as usual. A week later, her left eye also became red, swollen, and painful. Currently, Ma Chi feels very uncomfortable and is unable to fully open both of her eyes. She sometimes has headaches and experiences spells of dizziness. Doctors want Ma Chi to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Ma Chi's CT scan and care, scheduled for November 6. Her mother says, “My husband and I often think about our daughter’s eye condition at night and we sometimes cannot sleep.” Ma Chi says, “I want to become an engineer when I grow up. I want to build my own house.”

Meet Bwanakei, a three-month-old baby boy from Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us, “Bwanakei has an abnormal head size due to accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain.” Bwanakei’s swelling is caused by a condition called hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an excess of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up, creating heavily pressurized areas in the brain. As Bwanakei grows and develops throughout his childhood, this condition could pose serious health complications, including vision loss and limited physical mobility. AMHF tells us, if Bwanakei “is not treated, the accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid may cause brain damage.” Bwanakei’s Parents are subsistence farmers who not only provide for their eight children, but also for Bwanakei’s grandparents. AMHF explains that, Bwanakei’s parents have a hard time “harvesting crops from their small piece of land because there are wild animals nearby that destroy their crops.” AMHF adds, “They are therefore not able to raise funds for Bwanakei’s treatment.” With $980 in funding Bwanakei will receive a surgery where a stunt will be put in his head to reroute the cerebral spinal fluid to the abdomen, where it can be more easily absorbed. AMHF believes this surgery will prevent brain damage. Bwanakei’s father shares, “I came here in faith with nothing but bus fare for my wife and child. I am hopeful that Bwanakei will get treated.”