Meet Alex, a 33-year-old man from Kenya. He is married and is just starting off his own family with a four-year-old child, according to our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). In March of 2014, Alex was involved in a motorcycle accident and sustained multiple fractures in his right hand. To set the fractures, he underwent surgery to hold the fractures together with a plate. However, last month, his hand started swelling again. According to AMHF, the plate dislodged and re-fractured his ulna. If left untreated, the bone will not fuse together properly and Alex may be unable to use his hand again. Alex used to work as a security guard but has been unable to return since the accident. His family’s sole source of income is his wife’s, who launders their neighbors’ clothes for a living. They are unable to cover the cost of treatment. For $1125, we can fund Alex's surgery and 14 days of bedrest in the hospital. AMHF will perform an open-reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) procedure that will correct Alex’s misaligned fracture and put the plate back in place. “When I was done the first surgery I hoped I would be well and go back to work but the hand has been giving me problems since then," Alex shares. "I hope this time the surgery will be successful so that I can go back to work and support my family." Let’s help Alex regain the use of his hand, and his independence.

“My family is very young and depends fully on me. I really hope Watsi will help me to be treated so that I can regain my mobility and support my family,” says George, a 31-year-old husband and father of three from Kenya. George was recently injured while playing football in his village. “As he was playing, he was hit by a teammate and got an open fracture of the fibula of his right leg,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). George was taken to a nearby hospital where the broken skin on his leg was stitched, but he could not afford the surgery he needed — an open reduction and internal fixation, or ORIF — to reposition and set the broken bone. AMHF tells us, “George is experiencing pain and difficulty in using his right leg.” Without treatment, AMHF adds, “George may be unable to use his leg, the pain will continue, and it may lead to complications like delayed healing.” $1,125 in funding covers the cost of surgery for George, as well as a 2-week hospital stay, and 10 physiotherapy sessions to aid in his recovery. AMHF explains, “We expect that after an ORIF, the bones will unite. George will be able to work and support his young family.” George adds, “I also wish to get back to playing football, which is my hobby.”

“The symptoms make it difficult to focus on my studies and that upsets me. My mind wants to study, but my body will not allow it,” says Mu Eh. Meet Mu Eh, a 19-year-old woman who lives in a refugee camp in Thailand with her parents and three younger siblings. “Mu Eh was 15 years old when she first noticed the symptoms of her condition,” shares our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “She has made multiple visits to health clinics and hospitals over the past four years and been prescribed several different types of medication, however her symptoms have become more severe over time.” Mu Eh has nasal poylps. Nasal polyps are soft, sac-like growths on the lining of the nose or sinuses. BBP tells us they cause her pain and “make it difficult for her to breathe through her nose.” The growths also lead to “frequent headaches and her nose will sometimes swell and turn red.” Mu Eh passed grade 10 and is about to begin her post-term education. “She enjoys school and is interested in studying medicine,” BBP continues. “She occasionally misses school because of her condition and the pain makes it difficult to concentrate when she is studying.” $1500 will fund the procedure to remove the polyps along with transportation to and from the hospital. "With treatment, Mu Eh can be expected to make a full recovery and live symptom-free. She will able to return to her studies and work toward her dream of becoming a doctor.”

“Abigaelle was normal after she was born, but when she turned four months old she became sick and her head started getting large,” our medical partner in Haiti, Project Medishare (PM), reports. Symptoms of the flu, fever, and vomiting, accompanied Abigaelle’s head growth. Her mother brought her to the hospital, and a CT scan revealed excess fluid in her brain. Abigaelle was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which is the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. This can lead to brain damage and death if left untreated. Abigaelle’s mother “used to do commerce in the past, selling second hand clothes in the streets, but when her baby became sick she spent the money she had and did not have time to go sale,” adds PM. Abigaelle’s father “is also sick and cannot respond to the needs of the family." Furthermore, Abigaelle’s family is currently homeless after their home was destroyed during hurricane season. Her condition can be treated for $1,260, and surgery consists of a hydrocephalus shunt placement to drain the excess fluid in her head. This treatment will also help prevent other diseases prompted by hydrocephalus, such as seizures. We can help ease some of the hardship that Abigaelle and her family are facing by funding her treatment.

Peninah is a 57-year-old woman from Kenya and the mother of two children. Her daughter was recently married and her son helps support the family financially. “For about one year Peninah started experiencing lower abdominal discomfort, and then she noticed her tummy had begun to increase in size,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “After numerous hospitals visits, an MRI revealed a huge ovarian mass that was already pressing on the bowel loops (intestines) and needed to be removed.” Before her diagnosis, Peninah stayed busy farming and socializing with friends and family. Her condition, however, causes her to experience symptoms of pain and discomfort — preventing Peninah from working, making money and having leisure time. $790 will fund the treatment she needs to remove the mass. The procedure includes a total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) along with a five-day hospital stay and post-operative medications. A TAH involves the removal of the entire reproductive system, including the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Without treatment, “the mass will continue to grow and press more on Peninah's other organs leading to other complications,” adds AMHF. The treatment will “alleviate her discomfort and reduce the risk of the mass turning cancerous.” Peninah shares, “the doctor said the mass is growing fast and I need surgery soon. I am worried and hope Watsi will help me so that I can be operated and gain my life back.” Let’s help Peninah and fund this life-changing surgery!

“I hope the mass on the back of my daughter’s neck can be removed. I think once the mass is out, my baby will be able to grow normally. She will be strong and grow up to become an independent young lady,” says Riziki’s mother, Agnes. This is Riziki, a two-year-old girl from Tanzania who was born with a small lesion on the back of her neck. Over time, it has gotten larger, and Agnes worries that her daughter will not be able to develop properly. “Riziki is delaying in all of the developmental stages,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “The mass on the back of her neck can rupture at any time and leak cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). It is life-threatening to have an open lesion and lose CSF.” Currently, Riziki’s mother works as a small-scale farmer. Her husband is looking for work in a neighboring country but has not returned home since before Riziki was born. Agnes cannot afford the cost of surgery, which is where we come in! $1,100 will fund the surgery to remove the mass on Riziki’s neck. “Riziki will have a better chance to grow normally and become independent,” explains AMHF.

"Awar sells snacks for a living," says our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). "On average, she makes around $2 per day. However, because she has two children to feed, she accepts half of her day's earnings in rice and the other half in money." Awar is a 37-year-old single mother from Burma. About three years ago, she was diagnosed with bladder stones and underwent surgery. Her condition has since returned. "Awar is experiencing urine obstruction, abdominal and back pain, nausea and diarrhea," says BBP. "She is very sad to be in the same situation again but is hopeful she can get the surgery she needs and be finished with urological problems for good." For $1,500, BBP can treat Awar and allow her relief from symptoms, as well as give her the chance to work and generate income again. Since seeking treatment in Thailand she has had to stop working and be apart from her two children. This trip to receive treatment has now put her into debt. Awar has big dreams for the future -- she hopes to move to Bangkok with her children, where there are more opportunities for work and education. "It hurts Awar to not be able to provide for her children the way she wants to with her present circumstance," says BBP. "She believes Bangkok will be the chance she and her children need to live a better and happy life." Let's help make it happen for her!

“We are worried about the condition of our son. He is becoming less and less active," Elisha's parents tell us. Eight-year-old Elisha has what doctors call a "windswept deformity"— genu valgus on his right leg and genu varus on his left. This means that Elisha is bow-legged and has difficulty walking and pain in his knees. If not treated, his condition could lead to early osteoarthritis and a significantly reduced ability to walk at all. Elisha is a happy, friendly boy who enjoys being active. "He sometimes goes out with his father to herd cattle as that is what his father does for a living," says our medical partner in Tanzania, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Elisha's parents are loving and supportive, and work hard to provide for their family, but often struggle to make ends meet. "Their income is not enough to cover their daily expenses as well as the corrective surgery which their son needs," says AMHF. Fortunately, for $940, AMHF can perform surgery to straighten Elisha's limbs and allow him to walk properly.

Meet 2-year-old Esvin from Guatemala! Esvin lives with his mom and siblings. Esvin “has severe developmental delay and severe malnutrition,” our medical partner, Wuku’ Kawoq tells us. “In addition, he has very weak limp muscles and has very little language and motor development.” “Esvin will need a complete medical workup to eliminate treatable medical conditions,” explains Wuku Kawoq. “Then we will provide him with high-level, aggressive nutrition therapy to cure his acute malnutrition. Finally, he will need speech and physical therapy to help him regain milestones and start developing normally again.” Esvin’s mom shares that she hopes he will “grow like my other children.” Treatment for Esvin costs $1,385. Let’s help ensure that Esvin gets the happy and healthy life he deserves!

“It’s like a dream for me that I won’t be sick anymore,” exclaims 13-year-old Saphina. “I never thought it would be possible!” Saphina, who lives with her father and mother in Haiti, loves attending church, helping her mother with her chores, and studying. Born with a heart condition called atrioventricular septal defect, there are holes in her heart “between both the upper and lower chambers of the heart, allowing blood to flow freely among them without passing through lungs for oxygen,” shares our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance. “This makes her sickly and out of breath, and is a life-threatening condition." $1,500 will cover treatment to fix Saphina’s heart and prevent any need for further surgery. Let’s make Saphina’s dream a reality and give her access to the medical care she needs!