Meet Suon, an 84-year-old woman from Cambodia. “Suon developed a cataract in each eye 1 year ago,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “This causes her blurred vision, tearing, itchiness, cloudy lenses, and she is afraid of sunshine.” Suon is married with two sons, two daughters, and 20 grandchildren. She spends her free time traveling to the pagoda to listen to the monks pray. Due to her condition, Suon is now unable to see clearly, do any work, or go outside by herself. Suon’s grandson says he worries about her eyesight. Together they traveled three hours to CSC. For $225 CSC doctors will remove the cloudy lenses in Suon’s eyes and replace them with clear implants. The surgery will take about an hour and Suon will be able to see within the same day. “I hope I will be able to see clearly again so I can help my family by looking over my grandchildren, plant vegetables in the garden, and go outside on my own without any help,” says Suon.

Meet 77-year-old Phin from Cambodia. Phin is married with five sons, three daughters, and 10 grandchildren. In his free time he enjoys going to the pagoda and listening to the monks pray. Two years ago, Phin developed cataracts in both eyes. “Phin’s cataracts cause him blurred vision and tearing,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “He can't see clearly, do work well, or go anywhere outside by himself.” For $225, CSC doctors will remove the cloudy lenses from Phin’s eyes and replace them with clear implants. The procedure takes less than an hour and will restore Phin's vision within one day. “I hope I will be able to see clearly so I can go places by myself without disturbing my family,” says Phin.

Meet Hong, a 94-year-old man from Cambodia. “Hong is married with four sons, three daughters, and 10 grandkids. Hong enjoys visiting the pagoda and listening to the monks pray," shares our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). Three months ago, Hong developed a mature cataract in his right eye. A cataract occurs when a thin, cloudy layer forms over the eye’s lens. "This causes him blurred vision, discharge, tearing, and fear of bright lights. It is hard for him to see clearly, do work, or go anywhere outside," CSC explains. After learning about CSC, Hong and his daughter traveled together to visit their clinic. They learned that a simple surgical procedure may restore Hong’s sight. With $150, Hong will undergo cataract surgery, during which his old lens will be removed and replaced with a sheer artificial implant, allowing him to see again immediately after his operation.

Heang, a 57-year-old woman from Cambodia, is married with two sons, three daughters, and one grandchild. She spends her time doing housework and visiting the pagoda to hear the monks pray. “Heang developed a cataract in each eye one year ago,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “This causes her blurred vision, tearing, irritation, cloudy lenses, and she is afraid of sunshine.” Though minimally invasive, cataract surgery has a high impact on a patient’s quality of life. $225 will fund an hour-long surgery in which CSC doctors will remove the cloudy lenses from Heang’s eyes and replace them with synthetic clear ones. Within the day, Heang will be able to see clearly again. “I hope I will be able to see more clearly,” says Heang. “I will be able to do work and go outside and move around by myself.”

Meet Yuth, a 58-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. “Yuth is married with three sons, two daughters, and seven grandkids. She enjoys visiting the pagoda and watching TV in her free time,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Center (CSC). Two years ago, Yuth developed cataracts in both of her eyes. A cataract is a clouding of the lens that is most commonly due to age-related changes in the eye. Yuth is experiencing partial blindness, irritation, and excessive tearing. She traveled two hours to CSC with her son with hopes of restoring her vision. “I hope I can see clearly so I can work and look after my grandchildren,” she says. For $225, Yuth will undergo phacoemulsification and lens implant surgery in both eyes. The surgeon will use an ultrasonic probe to break up the natural lens of the eye in order to remove it. After the clouded lens is removed, an artificial intraocular lens will be put in its place. “She will be able to see clearly again,” says CSC.

Thai, a 66-year-old man from Cambodia, developed a cataract in each eye about three years ago. He spends his time doing housework and watching boxing and news on TV. Due to his cataracts, he can no longer enjoy TV because of his blurred vision, tearing, irritation, and cloudy lenses. Thai is unmarried, and his sister brought him to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), for care. $225 will cover the cost of an extracapsular cataract extraction and an intraocular implant in each eye. After the surgery, Thai will be able to see clearly again. Thai says, “I hope my eye can see everything more clearly after the surgery. I want to help my sister do some work at home and go outside.”

Mom is a 53-year-old woman from Cambodia. She enjoys talking with her neighbors and doing work around her home. She is married with two sons, two daughters, and three grandchildren. “Mom developed a cataract in each eye 5 months ago,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “This causes her blurred vision, itchiness, irritation, cloudy lenses, and she is afraid of sunshine.” Mom is unable to see clearly, work, or go anywhere outside on her own. For $225 Mom will receive a surgery to remove the clouded lenses in her eyes and replace them with clear implants. Mom will be able to see clearly again within the day. "I hope I will see clearly again," shares Mom about her hopes after surgery. And with cleared vision, Mom adds: "I can make Khmer cake, sell fruit at home to earn some money to support my family, and easily go anywhere outside."

Gidion is a two-year-old boy living in Tanzania with his parents and four siblings. “He used to be very active; he enjoyed playing with wooden cars, mud and running around with other children,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Gidion was born without any problems. He was growing well – able to crawl, sit, stand and walk. When he turned twenty months, he got sick. He was severely vomiting and lost his appetite,” shares AMHF. “He was taken to different hospitals and was treated only to get some relieve and then back to being sick again. Slowly Gidion lost his ability to walk and, “The last two months his mother noticed the circumference of his son’s head was increasing. He now has trouble supporting his head. If not treated, Gidion’s health will continue to deteriorate; he will lose his eyesight and completely become dependent,” adds AMHF. He developed hydrocephalus, a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. Treatment will cost a total of $775, and consists of draining the CSF buildup. Gidion will be able to get surgery, recover in the hospital for five days, and stay at a rehabilitation center for two weeks. Gidion’s parents are small scale farmers and cannot afford the cost of this surgery. AMHF expects that after surgery, “Gidion’s head circumference will not continue to increase, he will retain his vision and he may be able to walk again.” “I pray that my son will get well, be active again, and continue to grow up normally like his siblings,” says Gidion’s mother.

Four-year-old Bin from Cambodia was born with a cataract in each eye. Diagnosed with cataracts as a newborn, Bin’s natural lenses are cloudy instead of clear. With impaired vision, he can’t walk anywhere by himself or play with his younger sister and his friends. He enjoys playing with his toy car. After traveling two hours to reach our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Center (CSC), Bin’s parents are hopeful that Bin can receive funding to see clearly. Bin’s cataract treatment will cost $225. “After a lens aspiration surgery in each eye, Bin will be able to see clearly for the first time in his life,” CSC explains. Bin’s family is hopeful for his recovery. “I hope my son can see everything normally like the other kids so I won’t need to worry about his eyes becoming blind,” shares Bin’s father. “Then, I can bring him to school and he can play with the other kids.”

Veronica, a quiet four-year-old girl, lives with her grandmother in Tanzania. Following a visit to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), Veronica was diagnosed with a ventral hernia. “The hernia is getting bigger with time preventing Veronica’s ability to walk,” shares AMHF. “Veronica is able to sit, crawl and stand with support, but lately crawling has become a problem because the hernia is so big that when Veronica tries to crawl she ends up bruising herself.” A ventral hernia causes intestinal tissue to push through a weakened section of the abdominal cavity, causing a palpable bulge to form. Without medical intervention, Veronica is at risk of developing intestinal obstruction, a condition that blocks part of the intestine and prevents food and fluids from normally channeling through the digestive tract. Veronica is dependent on her grandmother’s income earned as a small scale farmer. “[Her grandmother] plants and sells some green bananas, maize and beans,” AMHF explains. “Even with extra support that she gets from her children, the little that Veronica’s grandmother earns from farming is not enough to cover the cost of the operation which Veronica badly needs.” $610 will fund Veronica’s hernia repair operation. This procedure will place the affected tissue back into its proper position. After surgery, Veronica will spend one week at Plaster House--a specialized surgical rehabilitation program--to allow doctors to closely monitor her progress during the most crucial part of her recovery. With the proposed treatment, Veronica will benefit from overall improved quality of life. “Veronica will be out of the risk of developing intestinal obstruction and with time she will be able to walk,” AMHF states. Veronica’s grandmother says, “I just hope that my grandchild will get better and have the ability to walk and perform different activities.”