Khum is a 59-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has six grandchildren and enjoys listening to the news on the radio. Three months ago, Khum developed a cataract in each eye, causing her irritation and blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Khum learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On March 4, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification surgery and an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $398 procedure. She says, "I hope I can see better after my surgery so I can help my sister bake cakes for her business."

Si Blu is a 22-year-old girl from Thailand. She lives with her parents and younger brother and sister in Mae La Refugee Camp, Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province. She and her family fled Burma 12 years ago because of the civil war and a lack of job opportunities in their area. Today, Si Blu’s parents sell noddles and snacks from their home in the camp. Si Blu loves to listen to music and help her parents with household chores in her free times. Currently, Si Blu experiences fatigue and she is too tired to climb stairs. She often has rapid breathing as well as heart palpitations when she is more tired. Si Blu was born with ventricular septal defect, a cardiac condition in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of the heart. Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through his lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him sick and short of breath. Si Blu is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on March 17 to correct his condition and improve his quality of life. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Si Blu's procedure and care. Si Blu said, “I feel like my health is getting worse and worse and I cannot handle it anymore. I am too tired to work or walk. I love to work but my work place has stairs I have to climb, and I cannot climb the stair every day. I hope that after surgery, I will be able to help my mother at home by selling noodles and snacks.”

Benjamin is a laborer from Kenya. He used to be a shop attendant in the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa. Benjamin tripped and fractured his right femur in 2012, and a nail was inserted. He used crutches for some time before healing. However, in December 2018, he fell again and the nail was displaced. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 7, Benjamin will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. He will be able to walk with no pain and he will work again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,451 to fund this procedure. Benjamin says, “My prayer is to be treated and resume my work. I am in great pain and walk with a lot of difficulties."

Ler Moo is a 32-year-old man from Thailand. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Mae La Refugee Camp, Tak Province. In his free time, Ler Moo likes spending time with his family. Ler Moo experiences abdominal pain, and his condition has not improved with medication. He was diagnosed with gallstones, and his doctor informed him that he requires surgery. Ler Moo has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, Ler Moo's symptoms will continue to worsen and put him at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Ler Moo is scheduled to undergo his cholecystectomy on October 4. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Ler Moo's procedure and care. “After surgery, if I feel better, I will try support my family as much as I can. I will apply for a suitable job in the camp so I can have an income to support my family,” says Ler Moo.

Aye is a 25-year-old young woman from Thailand. She lives with her husband in Mae Sot, Tak Province. She works as a laundry worker. In her spare time, Aye likes to cook and clean the house. For two years, Aye has been experiencing abdominal pain. She has been diagnosed with an ovarian mass or cyst. She has been advised to undergo an oophorectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her ovaries. Fortunately, Aye is scheduled to undergo her oophorectomy on October 19. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $913 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Aye said, “When I feel better I will find a good paying job and save money so I can open a small shop in Burma.”

Arnold is a young student from Haiti. He lives with his mother and older sister in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. He has Down syndrome and goes to a school for children with special learning needs. He has many friends and enjoys helping his mother around the house. Arnold has a cardiac condition called partial atrioventricular canal defect. Holes exist between both the upper and lower chambers of his heart. Blood leaks through these holes before first passing through his lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him sick and short of breath. Arnold also has a condition called pulmonary hypertension, in which the blood pressures to his lungs are too high. For this reason, he needs a diagnostic catheterization to determine whether it is safe for him to have surgery. To determine if Arnold's condition is operable, he must undergo a diagnostic cardiac catheterization, a procedure that is not available in Haiti. During the procedure, a catheter probe will be inserted into his heart to perform the necessary measurements and tests. On August 22, he will travel to the Dominican Republic to receive the scan at our medical partner's care center, Clinica Corominas. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is asking for $1,500 to cover the costs of Arnold's travel expenses, catheterization procedure, and lab work. His mother says, "We are all praying that Arnold can have surgery so that he will be more healthy and have more energy."

Trevin is a child from Kenya. He is the second born in a family of two children. His mother is a single parent who sells boiled eggs at their local market. Trevin was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility. Fortunately, Trevin is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on June 26. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $676 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. “I have worried for my son for the past four years. I hope he will get help and be treated. I hope to see him passing urine normally and growing up like a normal child," says his mother.

Jean Fritz is a student from Haiti. He lives in Gonaives, a city on the west coast of Haiti, where he is studying law. He enjoys computer programming as a hobby. Jean Fritz has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral regurgitation. One of the four valves of his heart does not function properly because it was severely damaged by a rheumatic fever he suffered as a teenager. As a result, his heart cannot adequately circulate blood through his body, and he is weak and in heart failure. Jean Fritz will fly to the United States to receive treatment. On March 26, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will repair his mitral valve so that it opens and closes more normally. Another organization, The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, is contributing $60,000 to pay for surgery. Jean Fritz's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Jean Fritz's family overseas. He says, "I have been hoping for the chance for surgery for many years, and am very happy that I will soon have a repaired heart!"

Benard is a baby from Kenya. He is the youngest in a family of eleven children. The family lives in a two-roomed house in the Eastern region of Kenya. His mother is a subsistence farmer, while his father is a carpenter. Benard has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Benard has been experiencing an increased intracranial pressure. Without treatment, Benard will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $685 to cover the cost of surgery for Benard that will treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on February 2 and will drain the excess fluid from Benard's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Benard will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. “I am really happy that somehow we might get help to facilitate Benard’s treatment,” shares Benard’s mother.

Aung is a 31-year-old man from Burma. When Aung was 20, he began to experience inexplicable weakness in his lower limbs. After walking for even a short distance, he would fall down. By the time he turned 22, he could no longer walk. Aung's paralysis has caused him to spend his waking hours sitting, which causes pressure sores, also called ulcers. Sometimes these sores become infected and Aung is required to seek antibiotic treatment. He hopes to find a way to heal this sore. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $851 to fund Aung's treatment. Surgeons will remove the ulcerous tissue on July 6, relieving Aung of his infection and pain. "I hope to open up a shop where I will repair broken TV, VCR, and DVD-players and can generate income for my family," Aung says.

Abibatu is a three-year-old little girl from Sierra Leone. She lives with her parents and two older brothers. Abibatu likes to dress up and go to church with her family. Abibatu was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a heart condition involving several related defects including a hole between two chambers of her heart and a muscular blockage in one of the heart's valves. On August 2, Abibatu will be traveling from her home in Sierra Leone to our medical partner's care center, Narayana Institute Of Cardiac Sciences, in Bangalore, India. Although Abibatu is not from Haiti, our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is collaborating with other partners to make her surgery possible, and so is asking for $1,500 to help cover the cost of Abibatu's surgery prep. Another organization, Have a Heart Cayman, has contributed $12,000 towards her treatment. We are also fundraising for her [transportation costs](https://watsi.org/profile/468cd870f0a3-abibatu). "Our family is all very excited that there is hope for Abibatu to become healthy!" says Abibatu's mother.

Godifrey is a three-year-old boy from Tanzania. He lives with his mother and grandparents on their small farm. When Godifrey was two, he had a case of spinal meningitis—a rare inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord. This inflammation blocked the fluid passage in the brain, causing fluid to build up around his brain. This condition is called hydrocephalus, and it currently causes Godifrey great discomfort, with symptoms such as vomiting and fever. “I hope my son gets better soon so that he goes to school and hopefully studies to become a doctor," Godifrey's mother says. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $728 to fund Godifrey's surgery. He is scheduled to receive treatment on April 19 at our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Doctors will insert a shunt in his cranium, allowing excess fluid to drain out and releasing the pressure on his brain. After his operation, Godifrey should be able to develop normally, living free from hydrocephalus and its symptoms.