Myo Win is a three-year-old boy who was born, and has lived most of his life, in Bangkok. He has three siblings; a sister and two brothers. The family relocated to their home in Burma when Myo Win’s grandmother passed away, and his parents have been working as day laborers on a farm. The family relies heavily on financial assistance from the Myo Win’s uncle who lives and works in Bangkok. Three months after birth, Myo Win developed a fever and was vomiting intermittently. They sought treatment at the Thai hospital; however, the symptoms worsened after several days as he suffered seizures and his head began to swell. Myo Win's parents did not return to the hospital as they lacked a health card and money, so they approached their employer in Bangkok who contacted several media outlets for help. The plea for public help was successful and Myo Win was seen by two different hospitals in Bangkok. At the second hospital, they noticed the increase in head size and intracranial pressure, so surgery was performed to insert a shunt to direct the cranial fluid to the abdomen. He was in the hospital for 25 days. Myo Win’s condition seemed to stabilize. Treatment in Bangkok was free as the public response covered the expenses. However in October of 2015, after the family moved back to Burma, he began to experience seizures, fever and vomiting attacks. The family took Myo Win to several different clinics for treatment, where it was found that Myo Win's shunt was malfunctioning due to blockage or infection. The only hospital able to perform surgery was out of financial reach for Myo Win's family. They were referred to Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), a Watsi partner, and told that Myo Win could receive surgery without charge through the Watsi program. Myo Win's present symptoms include abdominal pain, irritability, vomiting, constipation and difficulty urinating. $1,485 will cover the cost of the treatment Myo Win needs to get healthy. After the surgery, Myo Win will hopefully be able to run and play with his sister again. "My hope for my son is that he goes to school for an education and becomes a teacher," his mother said.

Meet Seneu, a 10-month-old girl from Tanzania. She comes from a polygamous family where her father married five wives. Seneu is the second baby to her mother. She is a happy baby and enjoys crawling and picking up what catches her eyes. Seneu was born with congenital unilateral clubfoot – a condition which will force her to use the lateral aspect of her left foot for walking if not treated. That will also affect her gait and increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age. She is the only child with clubfoot in the whole extended family and Seneu’s mother does not feel good when people stare and pass comments about her baby’s condition. Seneu’s mother is a homemaker and her father is a livestock keeper. None of the children are going to school because there is no school close by their village. Seneu’s father had many cattle, but he lost many of them to diseases. As much as they want their baby to get the right treatment, they do not have enough to cover the cost of treatment which their daughter needs. Seneu needs surgery to re-align her foot and ankle joint with surgery and casting to have the chance to walk normally again. This procedure will cost $1,160 and with it, Seneu will be able to walk on the soles of her feet and will also have a reduced risk of developing osteoarthritis at an early age. “I will be so happy when my daughter’s foot is straight. I want her to be able to walk and play like other children,” said Seneu’s mother.

“Kelvin’s life has not been easy for someone so young,” shares Kelvin’s mother, a native of Kenya. Her two-year-old son has two undescended testicles, meaning his testes have not moved completely from his abdomen into his scrotum as they should have while he was in the womb. This is a dangerous situation for Kelvin, since testes need to remain in the slightly cooler environment of the scrotum in order to develop correctly. If left where they are, “Kelvin may develop testicular cancer and/or a hernia,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “He may also be at risk of infertility if not treated.” Fortunately, Kelvin’s condition is not irreversible. With an operation called orchidopexy, doctors can use two small incisions to move Kelvin’s testicles into their proper location in his scrotum. Kelvin’s mother is the sole income earner in their household, and must also use her earnings to support Kelvin’s grandmother and siblings, who also live with them. “With a single salary as a subsistence farmer, there is no way in which Kelvin’s mother could finance her son’s surgical treatment herself,” AMHF explains. $570 will fully sponsor the double orchidopexy surgery that Kelvin requires, as well as the three-day hospital stay, medications, and lab tests that he will need to recuperate from the operation. “I wish to give Kelvin the opportunity to be able to follow his dreams and ambitions in life,” says Kelvin’s mother, “but I feel helpless that I cannot give this to him myself.” We can help give Kelvin a chance to grow up healthy!

Meet Angela, a two-month-old girl from Guatemala. Angela has two older brothers, ages seven and 10. Her father works as a day laborer who picks crops, cuts firewood, and plants beans and seeds. Angela’s mother used to weave traditional Mayan textiles but now spends all of her time caring for her children. “Angela's mother cannot produce breastmilk to feed her child,” our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), tells us. Access to maternal milk is critical for newborn babies to reach their physical and mental developmental potential. Without it, Angela must rely on milk formula which is extremely expensive. “Angela’s mother could afford to buy one container of formula, but she has been watering it down with sugar water, making Angela gain a lot of weight but putting her at risk of many serious health complications due to the lack of vitamins, minerals, and antibodies she is not receiving enough of,” explains WK. Without enough of the proper nutrients, Angela is at risk of stunted growth, poor mental development, and chronic illness. $1,016 will fund medical care to treat Angela’s nutritional deficiencies. She will receive milk formula, vitamin supplements, and visits with a nutritionist over the course of 12 months to get her nutritional health back on track. “Angela’s parents will also receive nutrition education to ensure that she has a chance to reach all her developmental milestones, have normal intellectual development, and be more successful in school,” shares WK. “I just want my daughter to grow and not get sick,” says Angela’s mother. Let's support Angela and her family and help fund the treatment Angela needs.

“Cristobal is the light of his parents’ life,” writes our Medical Partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). He “was a highly anticipated baby for his parents,” as Cristobal is their first child. Now two months old, he lives with his parents in their bamboo house in Guatemala, and loves playing with his rattle. However, Cristobal is currently at risk of dehydration and starvation. When he was born, “his mother was unable to produce enough milk to help him grow normally,” says WK. This has left him undernourished during a critical period of his development, and “without intervention he will not consume sufficient calories to survive his first months of life.” Cristobal’s parents cannot afford to buy the formula that would save his life. His father is a farmer, but does not have his own land to cultivate; rather, he earns the entirety of the family’s income by picking rubber on a relative’s farm. Fortunately, WK shares, “Although the effects of lactation failure are dangerous, treatment of it is simple.” $1,016 will provide Cristobal with a year’s worth of formula, and will also offer his mother one-on-one health education lessons with a nutritionist. With this supplemental food—and a mother who is deeply informed on how to monitor his health—WK says that “Cristobal’s immune system will strengthen and he will grow up to be a healthy energetic baby.” Cristobal’s mother tells us, “My dream as a mother is that he grows and one day can go to school. I want my son to be a man that is smart and hard-working. I love him so much, I hope God gives him many years of life.”

Ismail, a one-year-old baby boy, lives with his parents in Tanzania. Last July, Ismail received Watsi funding to treat hydrocephalus, a rare neurological condition. Having recovered from his life-saving brain surgery, Ismail now needs reconstructive surgery to allow him to live more comfortably. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), explains that due to an imperforate anus, Ismail is unable to normally pass stool. AMHF states that Ismail currently has a colostomy to help relieve some of his symptoms. However, this is a not a long-term solution to Ismail’s condition, prompting the need for additional surgery. For $1,500, Ismail will undergo an operation to allow him to pass stool normally. To support his recovery, Ismail will also spend two weeks at Plaster House--a specialized surgical rehabilitation centre. AMHF informs us that with the proposed operation, Ismail will have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy, active childhood. “It will be much easier to care for him as he continues to grow," Ismail's mother shares. "I hope he will be comfortable interacting with other children.”

Meet 19-year-old Lay. Originally from Burma, Lay now resides in Thailand and works as a waiter. He lives with his father, a construction worker, and his mother, a homemaker. Lay's favorite sport is football. Referred to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), from the Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand, Lay has been diagnosed with a heart condition known as a ventricular-septal defect. This congenital heart defect results in a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart. As a result of Lay's condition, BBP reports, "he feels tired and has heart palpitations. He sweats a lot while he runs and plays football or caries something heavy." $1,500 will fund a complex cardiac surgery to correct the ventricular-septal defect in Lay's heart. "After surgery, Lay should be able to go back to his work and generate money for his family," BBP explains. "He should not feel tired nor have heart palpitations. He should not have fatigue when he plays and runs or carries heavy things." "I am really worried for my son’s condition after I heard the news from the doctor," Lay's mother adds. "I have only one son and one daughter so I do not want to see his condition get worse – I am afraid to lose him. I hope he will recover and I want him to stay with me in the future." "I want to recover and work again to support my family," Lay tells BBP

Francisco is a three-month-old baby from Guatemala. His parents "believe he is the largest gift they have ever received," says our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). "His mother had lost their last baby during the third trimester of her pregnancy, so when she got pregnant again with Francisco, it was a wonderful surprise." "Shortly after giving birth, Francisco's mother realized that she could not produce enough breast milk to feed her baby," WK explains. Soon after, doctors at WK diagnosed Francisco's mother with a condition called lactation failure. Due to the lack of nutritious breast milk from his mother, "Francisco started to lose weight and now he is below the average height and average weight for his age," says WK. Without access to maternal milk, he is at risk of dehydration and starvation, which will quickly begin to impact his development. Francisco's parents are very concerned that their baby will continue to lose weight. "They do not have a lot of money and formula is out of their budget," WK tells us. $1,220 covers the cost of a 12-month program that will provide Francisco with infant formula in order to replenish his calories and nutrition. This funding will also provide his mother with intensive counseling on how to properly prepare and mix infant formula, as well has one-on-one health education to prepare her for transitioning Francisco's diet to solid food and watching out for other signs of illness. Francisco's parents are very dedicated to their son's health and hopeful for his future. "Their dream for their child is that he will grow up to become a young professional, and have the dream to be a doctor and help his people like we do," says WK.

Meet Chet, a 21-year-old university student from Cambodia. According to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), Chet “enjoys watching Khmer and Korean television and movies. He also likes to play volleyball.” “Chet fell one month ago and fractured his right forearm. Since the incident, Chet can't carry anything with his arm and he feels pain. He cannot work and his family must take care of him,” explains CSC. For $405, we can fund an ORIF procedure for Chet. An ORIF is an open reduction and internal fixation surgery, a surgical procedure to fix a severe bone fracture. First, doctors will realign Chet's fractured bone and then use metal hardware to hold the bone in place and guide the recovery process of the affected area. After the procedure, “Chet will be able to use his arm again and he will no longer feel pain. Chet will be able to go back to work once his arm has healed.” Chet hopes that after this procedure he will be able to return to work to support his family. Let's help Chet get back on his feet and fund this surgery!