Hun Ly is a mother of two with one son and one daughter. Hun Ly was a rice farmer but now is retired. Her husband passed away during the Khmer Rouge so Hun Ly lives with her daughter who is a teacher. She enjoys listening to the monks praying on the radio and at the pagoda. Two years ago, Hun Ly developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her photophobia, blurry vision, and tearing. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Hun Ly learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four hours with her daughter seeking treatment. On December 23rd, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $229 procedure. Hun Ly said, "I'm hoping I will be able to see well after surgery. I want to go to ceremonies at the pagoda and spend more time with my grandchildren once I am better."

Esther is a woman from Kenya. She has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been suggested to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $816 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Esther. The procedure is scheduled to take place on March 22. After treatment, Esther will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Esther says, “My prayer is to live longer. I want to be a cancer warrior."

Nikolaus is a baby from Tanzania. He is the youngest in a family of three children. Nikolaus’s parents are farmers. Nikolaus has clubfoot of both his feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Nikolaus traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on September 10. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $890 to fund Nikolaus's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk again and without pain and discomfort. Nikolaus’s mother says, "It hurts us to see him this way but there was nothing we could do due to money problems. We will always be grateful for your help.”

Katusabe is a young student from Uganda. She is in nursery school, and she is studying hard because she wants to become a teacher in the future. Her parents are farmers. Since the beginning of this year, Katusabe has had an inguinal hernia. If not treated, the hernia may cause intestinal tissue damage and blocking. Fortunately, on May 16, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $249 to fund Katusabe's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably. Her mother says, "After surgery I will go for a thanks giving mass in church to thanks God for my second chance.’’

Luis is young boy from Guatemala. Luis has a genetic syndrome called cri-du-chat, which causes cognitive and motor delays, among other symptoms. Luis is beloved by his entire family—he loves to play and sing with his older brother, and his mother works incessantly to care for Luis provide the best for him so that he can live happily. Luis needs to undergo surgery to treat cryptorchidism. Cryptorchidism—or undescended testicles—is a condition commonly found in young boys who were born prematurely, as Luis was. In order to treat this condition, he will undergo a simple surgery that relocates the undescended testicle into its proper position. If left untreated, Luis could be at risk for a variety of reproductive illnesses in the future, including inguinal hernia, infertility, and testicular cancer. On October 5, Luis will undergo a procedure called an orchidopexy, which is surgery to move an undescended testicle into the scrotum and permanently fix it there. $1,500 will pay for his laboratory testing, medication, travel, and accompaniment. This treatment will lessen Luis's chances of developing complications later in life. Luis's mother says, "Thank you so much for this support. I will fight with everything I have for my son to have a better life."

Solomon is a 34-year-old man from Kenya. He and his wife have one child. Solomon works as a small scale farmer with his wife. They plant maize in a small farm that they were given by Solomon's father. One year ago, Solomon started to feel pain in his scrotum. He did not go to the doctor because he felt ashamed to explain his condition to doctors. However, a few months ago, Solomon observed a swelling in his scrotum and decided that he needed to visit the hospital. The doctors performed a testicular ultrasound and then diagnosed Solomon with a bilateral hydrocele that requires hydrocelectomy surgery. On August 25, doctors will perform hydorcelecotmy surgery on Solomon. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $384 to fund the full cost of Solomon's treatment, which includes labs, medications, supplies, and physician time. Despite their hard work, Solomon’s family was not able to raise the full amount needed to fund Solomon's surgery. They were able to raise $104 for the surgery, and they are requesting assistance to fund the remaining $384. Solomon is eager to return to his farm after surgery to relieve his wife of the additional responsibilities she has had to take on during Solomon's illness.

“My wish is to be a driver when I am older,” shares Michael, who lives in Kenya. At 13, Michael is an eloquent young man. He and his three other siblings live with neighbors in their village. Although his foster family can take care of his basic needs, they do not have the extra money to help treat an ongoing injury Michael has experienced. In 2009, Michael and his sister were preparing food when he was accidentally burned by cooking oil on his hand and neck. After several hospital visits, he received a skin graft in 2011. Michael mostly healed, but contractures—abnormally tight, tough sections of tissue—formed on his neck where the burn had been. As Michael continued to grow, the contractures stretched his neck into an abnormal position. Unless he is treated, this twisting will only continue to worsen. Fortunately, though, we can help Michael. For $1,176, we can sponsor the surgical procedure that will release his contractures, allowing his neck to return to its normal position. This sum will also cover the lab tests, medications, and nine-day hospital stay that will accompany his operation on January 17, 2018. Michael has already faced many challenges in his short life. Let’s help make sure chronic medical disability doesn’t become another one.

Milka is a sweet 14-month-old girl from Kenya. She is the youngest in her family of five children. At birth, her doctor noticed that she had an abnormal condition in a sensitive area, but the hospital was unequipped to treat this condition. When Milka's sibling received treatment for a cleft lip and palate, she was brought along to our medical partner's hospital. Fortunately, Milka underwent the first of three corrective surgeries on November 25, 2016. After recovery, she should experience improved digestive function. Milka’s family lives in a two-roomed grass house on their ancestral land. Her parents are farmers, and they also work as hired laborers on neighboring farms. They need help to pay for this $1,500 treatment. “I want Milka to lead a normal life without complication," says her mother.

Shakir is a cute and charming boy who loves people. He enjoys discovering new things and eating sweets and rice. Shakir has been diagnosed with Hirschprung's disease, a condition that affects the large intestine and causes uncomfortable symptoms. He underwent a previous treatment, which only solved the problem temporarily. On December 27, he underwent a corrective surgery at our medical partner's care center. During this surgery, doctors removed the diseased part of Shakir's intestine. Shakir’s mother is a single mother who is unemployed. Her brother supports the family, but he cannot afford healthcare. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,500 in funding.

Nine-year-old Khu is the youngest of six children and lives on her family’s farm in Burma. “When Khu was a year old, she first developed jaundice, fever, and a distended abdomen,” our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), tells us. She was prescribed medicine from a local clinic to treat her symptoms, and at age six, she was diagnosed with thalassemia. Thalassemia is a genetic condition in which the body does not make enough red blood cells, and the existing red blood cells do not transport oxygen efficiently. This is problematic because red blood cells carry oxygen to all of the body’s organs. When an organ’s oxygen supply is inadequate, the organ cannot function properly, and symptoms such as fatigue, pallor (pale skin), and slow growth rates can result. “Khu needs a blood transfusion every month, and if [she does not receive it], she becomes pale and tired,” explains BBP. “Khu no longer goes to school as her illness continually forces her to miss classes, and she falls behind the rest of the class.” Khu also has an enlarged spleen—known as splenomegaly— which is common in individuals with thalassemia. The spleen is responsible for destroying old and defective red blood cells. In thalassemia, the rate of destruction is increased in response to the abnormal and transfused red blood cells in circulation, and the spleen grows larger due to the increased activity. “With thalassemia, a splenectomy [removal of the spleen] is often required to alleviate symptoms,” BBP continues. The family’s farm work—growing rice, selling livestock, fishing, and collecting wild fruits and vegetables—provides sufficient income for their day-to-day expenses, but they can afford only the most basic medications for Khu. For $1,015, Khu will undergo a splenectomy and receive seven days of hospital care and follow-up appointments after surgery. “Following the surgery,” says BBP, “Khu should be able to go back to school, and she will no longer need blood transfusions.” "Hopefully, my girl can regain her health, return to school, and possibly become a medic in her future," shares Khu’s mother.

Brian is a malnourished four-year-old boy from Uganda who lives with his grandmother and three siblings. Our medical partner, the Kellermann Foundation, shares that ever since the death of their father, Brian and his siblings “have been staying with their paternal grandmother while their mother works in another village.” The Kellermann Foundation continues, “As a subsistence farmer, it has been difficult for the grandmother to take care of all four children.” Due to the lack of a healthy diet and subsequent low protein levels, Brian developed severe malnutrition and accompanying oedema--abnormal fluid accumulation in the body’s cells or tissues. Additional symptoms include both respiratory distress and diarrhea. With $375, we can cover the cost of intravenous drugs for Brian’s respiratory condition, cannulation and intubation for nutrients and/or vitamins, and a hospital stay for recuperation. With additional nutritional care, Brian will be able to play with the other children in the village and fetch water. Brian's mother, who plans to subsidize one dollar of her son’s treatment, shares, “Thank you to everyone supporting me and my child. It has been difficult to pay bills on my own."

Two-month-old Anthony lives with his parents and three older siblings in a one-room house in Kenya. “Anthony was born with a head that was not proportional to his body in size,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “Anthony’s head has been progressively increasing in size.” Anthony’s increasing head size is the result of hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is an accumulation of fluid in the brain as a result of infection, trauma, malformation of the central nervous system, or genetic defect. AMHF continues, “Anthony is at a risk of increased intracranial pressure, which may result in brain damage if not treated.” Treatment for Anthony is a shunt to drain the excess fluid from his brain. Doctors insert the shunt into the brain and connect it to a tube that runs under the skin and empties into the abdomen, where the excess fluid can be resorbed by the body. The procedure “will reduce the risk of Anthony suffering brain damage,” says AMHF. Anthony’s father works as a welder, and the family runs a small-scale farm on their ancestral land. Despite their hard work, they do not earn enough money to pay for the surgery that Anthony needs. For $615, Anthony will undergo surgery and spend five days in the hospital as he recovers. Funding also covers the costs of imaging, blood work, and medicine. “If there is anything I could do, I would not hesitate so as to eliminate whatever he is undergoing,” shares Anthony’s mother. “My hope is that someday he will be well.”