Tith is an 80-year-old woman from Cambodia. She is married with one son, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. She spends her free time visiting the pagoda and listening to the monks pray. She traveled 3 hours with her son to reach our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Center (CSC), after years of experiencing discomfort and pain in her eyes. “Tith has developed entropion and has a cataract in each eye,” CSC says. “The entropion causes her eyelids to turn inward so her lashes and skin scratch the surface of her eyes. The cataracts make it difficult for her to see clearly. She can't open her eyelids easily and she experiences blurred vision, itchiness, irritation, and tearing.” For $290, Tith will receive an ectropion repair procedure to correct her conditions and restore her vision. “Tith will have an entropion correction surgery for each eye, and return to CSC for a cataract removal surgery,” her doctor says. “She will be able to easily open her eyelids and her lashed will not bother the surface of her eyes anymore.” After surgery, Tith looks forward to feeling more comfortable and living without pain. Her son adds that he hopes the surgery is successful, and that his mother will no longer have to worry about her condition.

Meet Aurora, an eight-month-old girl from Kenya. Aurora lives with her mother and grandparents, who sell vegetables to support the family. “Aurora was born perfectly healthy,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “But when she attained the age of one and a half months, her head began increasing in size.” Aurora’s swelling is caused by a condition called hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an excess of cerebrospinal fluid builds up, creating heavily pressurized areas in the brain. As Aurora grows and develops throughout her childhood, this condition could pose serious health complications, including vision loss and limited physical mobility. For $980, Aurora will receive surgery in which a shunt will be placed in her head to reroute the cerebrospinal fluid to the abdomen, where it can be more easily absorbed. “Aurora’s surgery will help eliminate the pressure impacting her brain, and allow her to live a quality life,” says AMHF. “Being a first time mother, Aurora's condition came as shock to me,” shares her mother. “It pains me to hear Aurora’s excruciating cries especially at night, sometimes I wish her condition on me to keep that pain from her.”