Kyaw is a 50-year-old man who lives alone in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. He used to work as a day laborer for a grocery shop, loading and unloading items from cars. However, he stopped working one month ago, when the vision in his right eye worsened. In his free time, he enjoys reading books and cleaning in his house. Kyaw has a cataract in his right eye and can't see more than light in that eye. Because of his vision, he will often not recognize his friends while he walks past them. Though he likes to read, it now gives him headaches. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), can help. They are requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Kyaw. On February 23rd, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Kyaw's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this procedure. Kyaw shared, “I am so happy that you will support the cost of my surgery. I hope your organisation will continue to help patients in the future. Thank you so much for helping me."

Naw Hser is a 47-year-old woman who lives with her older brother, her two daughters, two son-in-laws, two grandsons and one granddaughter in a refugee camp in Tak Province, Thailand. Everyone in Naw Hser’s family is currently unemployed since the outbreak of COVID-19 in late March 2020, when their refugee camp was placed under lockdown. Making things harder, the price of food has increased so the monthly 2,050 baht (approx. 68 USD) support they receive on a cash card is not enough to purchase necessities. By the end of each month, they have to purchase food from the shop on credit, which they try to pay back at the end of the month. They also grow vegetables in their neighbour’s garden, sharing the food they grow with them. This has made funding for medical care for their family very limited right now. In early 2019, Naw Hser started to become very tired when she walked short distances. She also experiences back and lower abdominal pain almost every day. This has impacted her appetite and she has lost weight over the past year. She shared that she cannot sleep at night because of the pain and because of the stress she feels about her condition. She is worried it is not treatable and her family feels sad seeing her in pain. Naw Hser has been diagnosed with uterine myoma. She has been advised by her doctor to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Naw Hser's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Naw Hser is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on January 25th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, she will no longer experience pain and she will be able to get back to more of her normal life. Once Naw Hser recovers, she is looking forward to being able to live happily with her family as she wishes. Naw Hser said, “I want to live happily with my children and look after my grandchildren. Now, my daughters do not want me to cook or wash clothes for my grandchildren anymore. They want me to rest because of my condition. They really feel sad when they see me in pain and sometimes, I also cannot control my tears when I see them cry. I really want to have surgery to recover.”

Mark is eighteen days old and has been diagnosed with a serious birth condition called anorectal malformation. His mother first had a concern when he was 6 days old, but hoped that it was normal. A few days later she noticed that Mark was experiencing trouble going to the bathroom and took him to hospital. After finding out that he would need surgery, a friend of their family referred them to BethanyKids Hospital for treatment. Upon arrival, he was examined and scheduled for emergency surgery that will help heal his condition and ensure he can grow up healthy. Mark is the only child in their small family. His mother works as a lab technician in a small hospital, but her earnings are limited right now. Mark's father does farming and is able to sell the farm produce. Their family does not have national insurance and can not raise the required amount of money for Marks’ surgery. They have come a long way from Kericho County and are in need of support for his care.

Klo is a 33-year-old man who lives with his wife in a village on the border of Thailand and Burma. He and is his wife are subsistence farmers, growing rice on rented land. Sometimes they work as day laborers when they can find extra work. However, due to a number of COVID cases around their area, they cannot find work right now. Late afternoon on 20 November 2021, Klo climbed a tree to pick cat tongue fruit, a type of local vegetable. Suddenly, the branch he was holding onto broke, and he fell out of the tree breaking both his wrists. Currently, both of Klo's wrists hurt badly. He cannot move his hands nor lift his arms up. He feels a bit better when he takes pain medication. He cannot dress himself and someone has to feed him and help him when he goes to the bathroom. He's worried that he cannot work on his farm since the accident. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Klo will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for November 26th and will cost $1,500. After surgery, he will be able to work on his farm again and he will no longer need someone to help him do everything such as eat and dress himself. Klo said, "I feel stressful that I cannot work during this time when I have to harvest. My wife has to work by herself and now also has to look after me. When I learned the large amount my treatment would cost, I felt hopeless. But when I learned from BCMF that donors would help me, I felt so happy and relieved! Thank you so much to all of the donors!"

Kyaw is a seven-year-old boy who lives with his mother and two older brothers in a refugee camp in Tak Province, Thailand. Kyaw is a student in grade two but unfortunately, due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in camp, all schools in the camp have been closed since July 1st. His oldest brother is unemployed and his mother is homemaker. Kyaw’s family receives 1,240 baht (approx. 41.30 USD) per month which is just enough for their monthly expenses. Kyaw’s mother also grows vegetables in a small garden just for themselves. In his free time, Kyaw like to watches movies and play with his friends. Kyaw also like to watch and listen to fairy tales before he falls asleep. At noon on October 24th, Kyaw climbed a tamarind tree to collect its fruits, carrying a bag with his favorite toy inside. He hung the bag on a tree branch, but his toy fell out when he accidentally bumped into his bag with his shoulder. While climbing down to retrieve his toy, his foot slipped, and he fell out of the tree onto his right arm. He immediately experienced severe pain in his right wrist and saw that it looked deformed. The next day, International Rescue Committee (IRC) referred Kyaw and his mother to nearby Mae Sot Hospital. There Kyaw received an x-ray and a doctor told Kyaw and his mother that Kyaw’s right wrist was fractured and that he would need to undergo surgery for it to heal properly. Currently, Kyaw is experiencing severe pain in his right hand, and his right wrist is swollen and looks deformed. He cannot grab anything with his right hand, and he cannot raise his arm above his head. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Kyaw will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for October 27th and will cost $1,500. This treatment will help Kyaw be able to use his hand again and he will no longer be in pain after surgery. Kyaw said, “I am so happy to receive support from the organization and I am thankful to the donors who will support me. I am so happy to have a chance to undergo surgery to repair my wrist. I want my hand to heal and be like before so that I can grab anything I want to.”

Hiram is a student from Mombasa county in Kenya. He is a lastborn in a family of three and the only boy. He has no father and his mother sells fish to make a living. Hiram is in class five at school. He was born with clubfeet and has never been to any hospital for correction until his family heard about the CURE Hospital mobile clinic in Mombasa. His condition has greatly affected Hiram's mobility. He feels pain on his feet as he walks, so he cannot put on his shoes or play with his friends. This has affected his studies. Fortunately, Hiram's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on September 20th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Hiram's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to put on shoes, walk comfortably and improve his self-esteem. “I would like to be treated so that I can walk like my friends, play with them and continue with my studies,” Hiram told us.

Mouslim is a 27-year-old public high school teacher. He got married earlier this year, and he and his wife live with his elderly parents and care for them. When he is not working, he loves to read, fish, exercise and play music. In May 2021, Mouslim fell during a soccer game and injured his right elbow. He visited a traditional healer for treatment, but unfortunately his injury worsened. Now, he cannot move his elbow and experiences a constant and dull pain. He traveled for two hours to visit our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), after a relative told him about them. Doctors at CSC will perform an open reduction surgery to repair his elbow. Once he has fully recovered, he will be able to move it normally and he will no longer experience any pain. Now, CSC is requesting $412 to fund his procedure and care. Mouslim shared, "I hope that I can recover quickly, and I am thankful I can return to taking care of my parents and preparing for classes with my students."

Ma Htun is a 60-year-old woman from Thailand who lives with her son. She and her family moved to Thailand from Burma about 17 years ago in search of better job opportunities. Since early 2020, Ma Htun has been retired. She is now a homemaker and takes care of the household chores. In her free time, she forages for vegetables in the forest. She has a daughter who is married and a son who works as a day laborer. On July 27, Ma Htun was walking home in the rain after visiting a shop to buy food. She slipped and fell and experienced a sharp pain in her right leg. Her son and her neighbor took her to the hospital where an x-ray confirmed that Ma Htun had fractured a bone in her thigh. Currently, she is unable to move her right leg or walk due to pain, and she has difficulty sleeping. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Ma Htun will undergo surgery to reset her fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for July 30th and will cost $1,500. This procedure will help Ma Htun to be free from pain and to walk again. Ma Htun's son shared, “I want my mother to receive surgery and get well soon. I feel bad that I cannot afford to pay for her surgery.”

Samuel is a 25-year-old motorbike taxi driver from Kenya. His father is a carpenter and his mother runs a greengrocery in their hometown. On May 8th, Samuel was in a traffic accident that caused a serious fracture to his left ankle. Samuel is unable to walk on his own and is currently using crutches. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On June 8th, Samuel will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him walk easily again. Now, AMH is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Samuel shared, “I am in pain and cannot walk without the help of the crutches. The doctor said if I don’t get the surgery my leg will not be okay and can't work.”