Ly is a 50-year-old wife and mother from Cambodia who works as a house cleaner. When she is not working, cooking, or taking care of her own home, she enjoys listening to the radio. In fact, it was on the radio that she heard about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “Four years ago, Ly fractured her right femur,” says CSC. “She received Khmer traditional medicine locally, but her condition did not improve.” "I can't walk, and it affects my children,” shares Ly. “My children cannot go to school because they are too busy taking care of me." Ly needs surgery—a procedure known as open reduction and internal fixation—to reposition and set her broken femur so that it can heal properly. $405 covers the cost of surgery, a two-week hospital stay, post-operative care (including physiotherapy), and follow-up appointments during the first year after surgery. After surgery, “Ly will be able to walk well again without pain,” CSC tells us. "After I am healed,” says Ly, “I hope I can go to work to earn income to support myself and my family, and be able to do more housework.”

Meet Sokkoeun, a 56-year-old woman from Cambodia. “Sokkoeun is married with one son and three daughters,” says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “She sells sweet fruits to support her family, and enjoys watching the news on TV.” Sokkoeun recently fell down from a tree and dislocated her left elbow. "I can't bend my elbow or carry anything without feeling pain and numbness in my left arm,” shares Sokkoeun. “Sokkoeun travelled three hours with her son to reach CSC for treatment,” says CSC. “She received Khmer traditional medicine treatment for two months but her arm did not improve.” With $405 in funding, Sokkoeun will undergo open reduction and internal fixation surgery to realign her bone correctly and allow her elbow to heal. After the procedure, CSC expects her arm will regain mobility. "After treatment, I will go back to work to support my family,” shares Sokkoeun. “I hope my hand will function well and I can do anything for myself."

Meet Saul, a very cheerful 11-year-old boy from Guatemala. Saul likes attending school and playing soccer. Unfortunately, sometimes he is prevented from doing his favorite activities because he has life-threatening asthma attacks. Saul's condition grew worse when he moved from a tropical region of the country to the highlands. Our medical partners at Wuqu' Kawoq report that "since asthma is a condition that is not common or well-understood in the Guatemalan medical community, he's not received proper ongoing treatment and education to get his disease into remission." Saul tells his doctors that he would like to get better so that he can be 'normal' like the other kids at school. For $450, we can grant this wish to Saul. He will receive intensive asthma therapy that will allow him to achieve better long-term asthma control as well as improve his exercise ability and performance in school. Let's give Saul a reason to keep smiling!

Peter is a laid back man who our Medical Partner describes as having a “pleasant sense of humor.” He and his wife have six children. They make a bit of money selling milk from their cow, but they mostly rely on Peter’s tree nursery to generate income. Two years ago, Peter noticed his vision starting to fall off. He was too financially constrained to seek medical attention, so he ignored it. Now, Peter has gone completely blind in his left eye and his right eye is following close behind. His poor vision is making it difficult for him to go into the forest to find seeds for his nursery. One of Peter’s older sons tries to help support the family and keep the younger kids in school by taking odd jobs, but their resources are stretching thin. Doctors at African Mission Healthcare Foundation have diagnosed Peter with cataracts. For $210, they can perform cataract surgery, which they believe will restore his vision. Peter and his family cannot afford the extra medical expense. We hope to cover the cost of his care and let him get back to nurturing his tree nursery.