Daychai is a 52-year-old man from Thailand. He lives alone in a village where he works as a gardener, growing fruits and maintaining the garden. From his work, he earns 3,000 baht (approx. 100 USD) per month. On February 23rd, Daychai was driving home from work and, suddenly, he lost control. He ran into a post beside the road and was knocked unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he found himself admitted at a hospital with pain in his right ankle. The doctor came to see him and told him that his right ankle is fractured. He would need surgery at nearby Mae Sot Hospital for his ankle to heal properly. Currently, his right lower leg is swollen and he cannot walk without crutches. He is in severe pain though he feels better after he takes pain medication. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Daychai will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for February 25th and will cost $1,500. This surgery will help his ankle heal properly so that he can walk again and he can go back to work. He said, "I am all alone and if I do not work, then I have no income and no money to eat. I need to recover to be able to walk and work again. I will be more careful next time while driving."

Serah is a hard-working farmer and mother. Sadly, she has been widowed for over 30 years but is happy to have a loving family of seven children who are now adults that live with their own families. She has a small quarter-acre tea farm, but largely depends on her children for support in her older age. In December 2021, Serah found a painless lump that worried her. She visited a local health center where additional testing was recommended. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and a mastectomy, or a surgery to remove breast tissue, was recommended to rid her body of the cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Without treatment, the cancer could spread to other organs. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Serah receive treatment. On January 25th, she will undergo a mastectomy at AMH's care center. After treatment, Serah will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Now, AMH is requesting $1,110 to cover the cost of her procedure and care. Serah shared, "all my life I have had the privilege of good health. We thank God. The news of cancer and surgery came as a surprise to me considering I am an old lady and fragile. I need this surgery to save my life from the jaws of this fatal disease."

William is a cheerful, fun-loving boy. He's a hardworking student in class four at school and enjoys reading and playing football. He is the fourth-born child in his family, and they live together in a two-room mud house in their village. William's parents work as farmers. William was born with clubfoot of his left foot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. As a result, he has difficulty playing football (his favorite sport!), walking, wearing shoes, and it has impacted him going to school. Fortunately, William traveled to the care center of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). On January 10th, surgeons at AMH will perform clubfoot repair surgery. After treatment, William will be able to walk easily, wear shoes, and play without any difficulty. AMH is requesting $1,286 to fund William's surgery. William shared, "I would be very happy to go to the field and play football without any problem and as well as continue with my studies."

Said is an active and fun-loving kid. He was born in Venezuela but due to the crisis there, almost 4 years ago his parents decided to move to Colombia seeking for better opportunities. Said loves soccer and video games, and is the youngest sibling in his family. His mother shared that he was first diagnosed with cryptorchidism in Venezuela, but despite her efforts she hasn't been able to find the way to pay for his surgery or find a hospital that could help them. Surgery is important to prevent him from having testicular cancer or a hernia. Fortunately, our medical partner Clínica Noel is helping Said to access care. He's scheduled for surgery on February 2nd and his family is raising $1,167 to cover his medical treatment. Said's mother said: "I'm really glad and thankful with those that might help my little boy, I've been seeking for years for a miracle. Knowing that I don't have the resources makes me feel helpless. Thank you so much for your help."

Chorn is a hardworking man from Takeo province in Cambodia. He has three daughters and ten grandchildren. He lives with his wife who is a farmer. In his free time, Chorn likes to play with his grandchildren and listen to the radio. Chorn had an unfortunate electric burn on his right arm and chest last month. After the burn, his family took him to a local clinic for medication, but his wound has become infected. The skin on his right arm and chest has necrosed. Chorn has a loss of sensation on the fifth finger, the muscle has wasted away and he is in a lot of pain. He and his wife travelled two and a half hours to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for a diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, surgeons plan to do a debridement and exploration of the ulnar nerve on the right arm to help him. Chorn needs $541 to cover the surgery, inpatient care and medication. After surgery, Chorn hopes his right arm will function and his wound heal soon. He shared how important it is for him to use his hand again to be able to work and feed his family.

Ikram is a friendly, playful 4-year-old boy and the only child of his parents. His family recently moved from the city back to the village in Tanzania due to the lack of work and hardships they experienced. His parents work as small-scale farmers to provide for the family. Ikram cannot attend school right now as his parents are worried the walk to school will be painful for him. They also shared that he may experience discrimination by other children. Ikram was born with clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape, causing difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Ikram’s family traveled to visit the care center at our medical partner’s care, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). On November 16th, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery. AMH is requesting $935 to fund Ikram’s procedure. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and wear shoes. Ikram’s mother shared, “Life took a quick turn, and we could no longer afford to live in the city. We moved back to the village and hope for a better life.”

Precious is the firstborn child in her family. Her mother is in the grocery business while her father is a motorcycle taxi driver. Their young, happy family is still working hard to make ends meet and look for better jobs. Both are school graduates but they haven’t been employed due to a lack of job opportunities. Their family lives in a rental house in their small center of Bugar in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in Kenya. Precious arrived to our partner's hospital with difficulty breathing and sleeping. She was reviewed by the clinicians where she was diagnosed with enlarged tonsils. She has previously been treated in many other hospitals with medication that only offered short-term relief. In October, their family came across a pamphlet advertising surgical screening and decided to come to Kapsowar Hospital for a consultation. Very quickly after arriving at the hospital and seeing her condition, she was approved for surgery. Precious has difficulty in sleeping and breathing due to the enlarged tonsils blocking her airways. Her parents are requesting financial support so that their daughter can undergo the surgery. Precious' mother says, “She doesn’t sleep well at night. She struggles to breathe and this makes me worried. I look forward to seeing her have a peaceful night every day.”

Phat is a 50-year-old laborer. He is married and has two sons, two daughters, and one grandson. Phat lives with his wife and their children. At home he likes to watch Khmer boxing on TV. One year ago, the retina of Phat's left eye detached, causing him partial blindness and tearing. When Phat learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On October 26th, eye surgeons will perform a retinal detachment repair procedure in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $648 procedure. Phat says, "I will feel happy when my eye heals because I can return to working and helping my wife on the rice field."

Nakoyai is a 13-year-old student and the second-born child in a family of five children and lives with her parents who keep livestock for a living. Nakoyai was involved in a motorbike accident while walking to school. This left her with acquired valgus of her left foot, in which the joint of the toe closest to the ankle is bent upwards, while the others are bent downwards. She has difficulty walking and was admitted to a local hospital for almost one year, throughout which her parents spent their savings and sold most of their cattle to pay the hospital bills. Nakoyai dropped out of school after her discharge from hospital because she was no longer able to walk to her school, which was quite far from her home. One year later, she received a scholarship to join a boarding school and was brought to our medical partner's care center seeking treatment. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Nakoyai. Treatment will hopefully restore Nakoyai's mobility, allowing her to participate in a variety of activities and greatly reducing her risk of future complications. The procedure is scheduled to take place on September 10th. Nakoyai shared, "I feel pain when I walk and I cannot play most of the sports at school because of my leg. I will be happy if my leg could be treated so that I can walk around and play like my friends.”

Noemi is a cheerful three-year-old girl from Venezuela. Her family moved to Colombia two years ago, and she will start school soon. Noemi loves playing with dolls and painting. Noemi has clubfoot of both feet, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Noemi's family traveled to visit our medical partner, Clínica Noel. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on September 28th. Now, Clínica Noel, is requesting $1,500 to fund Noemi's bilateral clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk more easily and wear shoes. Her mother shared, "it breaks my heart when she tells me she wants to walk and I see that she is not able to... she is starting school soon and I would love to see her walk and play with her new friends."

Venance is a five year old boy and the second born child in a family of four children. Venance is a friendly boy who is currently in kindergarten. Venance and his siblings are being raised by their mother, who does small scale farming where she gets most of the food her children need. She also seeks day laboring jobs like working on other peoples farms or laundry to help make ends meet. Venance was diagnosed with Bilateral Genu Valgus, a condition that causes bones to bend. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Venance now has pain after a long day of play and walks to and from school. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Venance. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 9th. Treatment will hopefully restore Venance's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Venance mother says, "Please help my son."

Omar is a 14-year-old student and the youngest of eight children. He is in grade 5 and likes reading. His father is a farmer and his mother died last year after a long illness. Omar has clubfoot in both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Omar and his father traveled over a day to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on June 28th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Omar's clubfoot repair. He is scheduled to undergo right foot triple arthrodesis surgery to first correct his right foot. After treatment, he will be able to walk and be able to put on shoes. “Any support rendered to make my son walk like other children will be highly appreciated,” Omar’s father told us.