Win is a 49-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband and four sons. Two of her sons are distant learners at university while her husband and two other sons work as masons. However, her husband had to stop working to look after the housework when she was no longer able to do so. Win was diagnosed with a heart condition that involves a malformation of her mitral valve, the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle. This valve controls the flow of blood, but certain conditions may cause blood to flow backward or the valve to narrow. Currently, Win feels tired, has no appetite, cannot sleep well nor walk longer distances. She also has a headache, chest pains, and tingling and numbness in her extremities. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement for Win. The treatment is scheduled to take place on March 11th and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably. Win said, “When I recover from my illness, I will go back to doing the housework so that my husband can also go back to work.’’

Joyce is a mother to two girls of ages 13 and nine years. She is a single mother, having separated with her husband in 2009. Joyce is unemployed and does not receive any child support. Her eldest daughter finished her primary school in 2015 but was forced to repeat a class as getting school fees for secondary school was difficult. Her youngest daughter is in primary school. To earn a living, Joyce tills her small farm often supplementing that with wages earned from other people’s farms. In April 2013, Joyce felt a lump on her right breast and went to the hospital near her village. The doctors did not diagnose the condition and she was told the lump shall disappear. She stayed with the lump until June 2015 when she felt pain on her right breast again. She was referred to the national hospital and was started on chemotherapy sessions. To pay for the six sessions, which ended in April 2016, she held several fundraisers. She requires a mastectomy as part of the treatment but is not able to meet the treatment cost. For $740, AIC Kijabe Hospital will perform a mastectomy. Joyce' family and friends are subsidizing $156 of her treatment. Joyce shares, “I want to be treated and be cancer free to be there for my children."