Proeung is a loving grandmother with one son, four daughters, and ten grandchildren. Proeung raised her children as a single mom for most of their lives, and enjoys cooking and looking after them and her ten grandchildren. She is a retired rice farmer, and now spends her days with her family and friends in the village. She enjoys going to the nearby pagoda to pray regularly. In mid-October 2023, Proeung fell outside of her house and broke her ankle. She was treated at a local clinic, but the wound around the fracture has not healed. She has sought further treatment from a traditional healer in her village, but the skin around the wound has only worsened. She is in chronic pain and cannot walk without support. When Proeung learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled there hoping to seek treatment. On November 9th, surgeons at CSC will perform a skin flap procedure to to eliminate pain and help her walk independently again, but Proeung needs help to fund this $673 procedure. She shared, "I hope I can walk by myself and be able to care for my family again."

Sokhon is a 49 year-old soup seller. She moved from a rural province to the capital Phnom Penh around 20 years ago, when she first got married. Her husband is a rickshaw driver, and together they have three daughters. One daughter is recently married, and the other two are in their final years of high school. Sokhon sells soup from a street cart. In her free time, she enjoys sleeping and watching Cambodian sitcoms. Around two years ago, Sokhon had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Sokhon experiences hearing loss, tinnitus, and persisitent ear discharge. It is difficult for her to hear and she experiences constant discomfort. Sokhon traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On September 14th she will undergo left ear surgery. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She shared, "I hope I can go back to work and speak clearly with my customers, friends, and family."

Vireak Thet is a happy two-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives in Phnom Penh with his parents and grandmother. His mom stays at home to care for him, and his dad works as a motorbike taxi driver. To supplement their income, his grandma sells ice cream from a cart in front of their home. Vireak Thet loves playing with the other children in the neighborhood, and eating ice cream from his grandma's cart. Last year, Vireak Thet accidentally burned his right hand with hot cooking oil. Burn scar contractures have developed, tightening the skin around his index and middle fingers. It is difficult for him to use his hand for every day activities. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), can help Vireak Thet. On August 9th, surgeons at CSC's care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to to improve the function of his hand. Now, his family needs help to fund this $495 procedure. His mom shared, "I hope he can move his fingers freely and be able to use his hand when he starts school."

Win is a 32-year-old father from Burma. He resides with his wife and six-year-old daughter. Win runs a small jam shop with his wife. During his free time, he enjoys using social media and playing football with his friends. Win was diagnosed with a heart condition that requires valve replacement. Heart valves control the flow of blood between chambers, but certain conditions may narrow the heart valve or cause the blood to flow backwards. Normal valve function is necessary to prevent long term damage to the heart and lungs. Win experiences chest pain, palpitations, and difficulty sleeping due to night sweats. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a heart valve replacement for Win. The treatment is scheduled to take place on December 13th at Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital. Once completed, Win will hopefully live more comfortably and with such high risk from his cardiac condition. Win said, “Thank you for your assistance with my treatment. I’m glad and thankful for the support from BCMF."

Lillian is a 63-year-old farmer from Kenya. She is a mother of three children. She has been a widow for more than 12 years now, and since the passing of her husband, she has found it hard to make ends meet to raise her children. A few years back, she raised some chickens that lay eggs for sale to provide for the family. She also farms and sells arrow roots to get some extra cash. Two of her children have now finished school, and one has moved out. She shared that they are not well off financially and thus Lillian cannot afford for her treatment costs. She is appealing for financial assistance. A recent CT scan revealed a swelling in her uterus. After a biopsy test was done, Lillian was diagnosed with malignant neoplasm of the uterus. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1260 to fund Lillian's surgery. In November, she will undergo surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Lillian will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Lillian says, “It has not been easy for me because I have had to change how I live. Thank you for your support.”

Saw resides in a refugee camp along the Thai-Burma Border with his wife, two daughters, and son-in-law. His wife is a homemaker, and Saw stopped working as a day laborer due to his worsening health. He is proud of his family: One of his daughters is a student, the other is a pharmacist, and his son-in-law is a medic at the camp's hospital. He likes to forage for vegetables in his free time. Saw has been diagnosed with a right irreducible inguinal hernia and is scheduled to undergo hernia repair surgery in October. This surgery is essential to relieve his pain and discomfort and improve his overall quality of life. Saw said, “I want this discomfort and pain to disappear. I cannot do anything because of the pain. I hope that after surgery, I will be able to have a normal life again and will no longer be in any discomfort.”

Luana is the only child of her mother and father. Her mother is a college student hoping to become a doctor, and her father is a market vendor. They live in the Amazon basin of northeastern Bolivia. Luana was born with a condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart; blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. Luana also has Down syndrome. Our partner International Cardiac Alliance is requesting $1,500 to fund cardiac surgery which will help her to grow up healthy and active. Luana's mother shares, "We are so grateful that the hospital selected our daughter to have surgery, and we are praying everything will go well!"

Kenan, who is two months old, lives in the mountains near La Paz, Bolivia. His father is a gardener, while his mother sells fruit door to door. Kenan was born with two holes in and near his heart: one between the heart's two lower chambers, and the other between two major blood vessels next to his heart. Blood leaks through these holes, making it difficult for him to breathe and to gain weight. As a result, Kenan has been hospitalized on oxygen and nutritional support since he was born. He also has Down syndrome. On August 4th, doctors at Hospital del Niño Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uría will sew the holes closed so that blood can no longer leak through them. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to cover the costs of Kenan's surgery and care. Kenan's mother said: "Our family is praying that once Kenan's heart is fixed, he will finally be able to come home from the hospital!"

Claudy is an 11 month old child from Haiti. He is the youngest child in his family. He lives with his mother, father, brother and sister and is very playful. Claudy has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Claudy has been experiencing Increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Claudy will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $897 to cover the cost of surgery for Claudy at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat his hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on July 4th. This critical treatment will drain the excess fluid from Claudy's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Claudy will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. The family is hoping that the surgery will allow him to grow and enjoy a healthy life without further challenges.

Dormaha is a four year old preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her parents in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, and likes dancing and watching cartoons. Dormaha suffers from a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. Blood leaks through a hole that exists between the two lower chambers of her heart, bypassing her lungs without obtaining the oxygen Dormaha requires. She needs surgery to prevent her from experiencing the weakness and shortness of breath that she currently lives with. The surgery that Dormaha needs is not currently available in Haiti, so she will be flying to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. Fortunately, on May 18th, she will undergo cardiac surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT, during which surgeons will sew a patch over the hole to close it. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $8,000 to pay for the surgery. However, Dormaha's family also needs help to fund the costs of many other aspects of Dormaha's care. They are seeking $1,500 to pay for the lab tests, medicines, checkup and follow-up appointments, that are all part of Dormaha's critical treatment. This money will also go towards obtaining passports, and for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Dormaha's family overseas during her care. Dormaha's mother said: "Our family has been hoping for this surgery ever since our daughter was a small baby, and we are very glad the chance has arrived!"