Meet Tha Zin, a 23-year-old woman from Burma. When she was eight, Tha Zin and her mother were lighting a fire using cotton and petrol. In a terrifying accident, the fire grew out of control, and Tha Zin ended up with burns on her face, neck and chest. The burns not only caused a functional impairment of her neck and face, but also led Tha Zin to leave school and begin working at age ten to avoid the public humiliation she felt. Now, 15 years later, Tha Zin has found love and stability -- she lives with her longtime partner in her parents' house and works as a farmer -- but she wants nothing more than to look like a normal person. She even spent $50 (a staggering two months' salary for her) to travel to our medical partner's clinic to see what could be done. "Tha Zin told us she wishes to look like a normal person," our medical partner writes. "This treatment means the world to her, and afterwards she and her partner would like to save money and get married. She wants to be able to feel comfortable in public and does not want to feel ashamed or embarrassed anymore." $1,500 will cover the entire cost of Tha Zin's treatment. With this funding, she'll be able to travel to a hospital in Thailand and receive surgery, allowing her to move her neck more freely, and, equally important, feel like herself again.

This is Mary, a 44-year-old woman from Kenya. Recently, a routine cancer screening revealed that Mary has cervical cancer. Mary needs a total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) to treat her cancer. However, as a single mother of three, she often struggles to make ends meet on her housemaid's salary as it is. She cannot afford the $885 surgery. Mary's doctors say that with a TAH, they expect her to live a normal, productive life. Let's step in and send Mary the funds she needs to get healthy again!

Maria is a 27-year-old woman from Guatemala who lives with her elderly parents. When she was 16 years old, Maria began to develop severe stiffness in her muscles and have pronounced tremors. Now, Maria has trouble walking, talking, eating, and doing basic tasks independently. Recently, she and the staff at Wuqu' Kawoq had an amazing Skype conference with expert neurologists from Boston who concluded that she has a very rare, inherited Parkinson's-like illness. The doctors at Wuqu’ Kawoq are requesting $450 to cover the costs of an initial evaluation and medication needed to perform a "range-finding" process, where the medical staff will calibrate the right long-term medication and dosage for her condition. Our partners are confident that they will be able to find the medication dosage that will make almost all the symptoms disappear, and they are willing to cover her long-term costs if Watsi donors can just get her started. Maria's doctor says this would be “like a new life for this patient, totally revolutionizing her independence and function.” Let’s help Maria own her life once again!

Christine is a 25-year-old wife and mother from Kenya. She has uterine fibroids, benign tumors that cause her abdominal pain, swelling, prolonged bleeding, and general body weakness. Christine's husband works as a pastor. He earns just enough to take care of the family, but Christine's new medical situation presents a challenge. "We are struggling. The church is very gracious, but they simply cannot afford to assist us," says Christine. A $1,200 treatment will remove Christine's fibroids, which will alleviate her pain, restore her quality of life, and preempt long-term problems that unresolved fibroids might cause.