Tukamushaba is a 17-year-old student from Uganda. She had reached senior three in school before the COVID-19 crisis lockdown started. Tukamushaba is the last born in a family of ten children, with four brothers and five sisters who are all married and work as small scale farmers. She lives with her mother, as her father left the family when she was very young. Tukamushaba's mother used to work as a small scale farmer, but no longer works because recently suffered a stroke and has been home recovering. For the last six months, Tukamushaba has had a swelling within her chest. She feels tenderness and discomfort in the area, and needs to have the mass removed in order to relieve her of these symptoms. Tukamushaba traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 9th, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Tukamushaba's family needs help to raise $196 to fund this procedure. Tukamushaba's mother shared, “I humbly request you for your support of my daughter because she is really in deep pain and has suffered this issue for some time. However, her procedure has been delayed due to some financial struggles. I hope she will get better after surgery and can continue with school.”

Norntha is a 32-year-old woman from Cambodia. She is currently unemployed and she lives with her older sister. She likes to do the housework, listen to music, and watch television. When she was a child, Norntha had a serious ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in her right ear to perforate. For this reason, Norntha experiences ear pain, ear discharge, and tinnitus. She cannot communicate clearly with others, and it is difficult for her to find job opportunities. Norntha traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 11th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $464 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She said, "I hope I can hear clearly and I will get a good job."

Violet is a mother of six from Malawi. She lives with her husband and spends her free time farming, attending church, and chatting with friends. For three years, Violet has had a right inguinal hernia. She went to several different hospitals near her home town, none of which could help her. She has been waiting for three years to resolve this condition so she can return to caring for her family. Fortunately, on January 31, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at Nkhoma Hospital, our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $334 to fund Violet's surgery. The requested money pays for supplies, medications, and six nights of hospital stay. She is looking forward to returning to farming and would like to also start her own business when she is feeling better. She says, "I am excited because better health will help me return to my village and work harder!"

"It's a desire of every mother to see our children be in good health and happy and to feel accepted in the community, especially by their fellow children," Jon Michelangelo's mother says of her ten-year-old son. Jon lives with his family in the Philippines and was born with a congenital digestive tract malformation, which makes it difficult for him to go to the bathroom normally. Our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM), shares, "Jon felt ashamed of his condition. In fact, right now he [has] stopped schooling because his classmates don't want to mingle with him." Jon should be in grade five but has missed a year of schooling because he says the anal malformation makes him feel alone. Despite the setbacks at school, Jon comes from a loving and supportive family. He shares, "I love my family very much, especially my siblings." ICM also points out that "his mother made an effort to pay more attention on Jon Michel to build his self esteem and confidence." As the sole-provider for her family, Jon's mother cannot afford the cost of his surgery. For $965, Jon will receive an operation to repair his intestine and colon so that he can eliminate waste without needing a colostomy. This surgery will allow Jon to return to school with confidence. Jon's mother says, "I am very grateful to know that there are people who have the heart to help the unfortunate like us. I am hoping that my son will be given a chance to live a normal life like other children."

Meet Rebecca, a three-year-old girl from Haiti. Rebecca lives with her mother and father, and she likes to play dress-up and play with dolls. She is very outgoing and likes to sing and dance, according to our medical partner, the Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). “Rebecca was born with a congenital heart condition called tetralogy of fallot, which involves several related defects, including a hole between two chambers of the heart and a muscular blockage of one of the heart's valves," explains HCA. "As a result, Rebecca's heart cannot deliver enough oxygen to her body, and she is sickly and weak. If untreated, the condition would be fatal." For $1,500, we can fund a treatment that will restore normal blood flow to Rebecca’s heart and allow her to live a normal life. This amount provides funding for overseas prep and transport, as HCA secures overseas heart surgeries for procedures that are not easily accessible in Haiti. The treatment is subsidized by a $10,000 donation from Safra Children’s Hospital. "We were very happy to find out that Rebecca could have surgery for her heart problem," her mother shares. "We are praying that all will go well!"

44-year-old Sokhon is a garment factory worker who lives in Cambodia with her husband, three sons and daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys watching Thai dramas on TV. "Three years ago Sokhon developed a pterygium in each eye," shares our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). A pterygium is a growth on the clear tissue of the eye that can spread to the cornea. CSC explains, "a pterygium causes her blurred vision, burning, irritation, and redness and tearing." "It is hard to see something clear or well and I feel uncomfortable doing my job. It is hard to go anywhere outside," Sokhon says. For just $150, Sokhon will receive a surgery in which the painful growths will be removed from each of her eyes. After treatment, Sokhon will be pain-free and will have an easier time focusing while at work. After surgery, Sokhon shares, "I hope my eye is good looking and normal again and I’m not worrying about that cyst affecting my vision.”

“I pray that my son gets well soon,” says the mother of Brandon, a one-month-old baby boy who lives in Kenya. Brandon was born with spina bifida, a birth defect characterized by the incomplete closure of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. “Brandon has a leaking sac-like protrusion on the lower backbone area,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Without treatment, Brandon is at risk for infection, a tethered spinal cord, curvature of the spine (scoliosis or kyphosis), and loss of muscle function in his legs. Brandon lives with his mother, a college student, and his maternal grandparents in a two-room mud-walled house. His grandparents, who are subsistence farmers, and his father, who is also a college student, are unable to raise enough money to pay for the surgery that Brandon needs. For $805, Brandon can receive a surgical procedure known as spina bifida closure. Doctors place the spinal cord and nerves back inside the backbone and cover them with membranes before closing the opening on Brandon’s back. Funding for Brandon’s treatment also includes a five-day hospital stay and three days of physical therapy. “The surgery will help reduce the risk of Brandon developing infections, tethered cord, and/or paralysis on his legs,” says AMHF. Let’s help Brandon fund the surgery that he needs!