Blessing is a 35-year-old seamstress from Nigeria who has one older and four younger siblings. Our medical partner, Hope for West Africa, tells us she has a "sweet personality" and likes to cook. Blessing was recently diagnosed with uterine fibroids, painful noncancerous growths in the uterus. As a result, she has been having painful, prolonged menstrual periods and difficulty urinating. "Due to the pains and prolonged menstrual flow she hasn't been concentrating in her business of making clothes," shares Hope for West Africa, our medical partner. Blessing is unable to pay for treatment, as she contributes part of her income to help her siblings attend school. For $1,500 we can fund surgery to remove the growths, relieving Blessing's pain. The funding will also cover hospitalization and recovery. "Blessing looks forward to when she can concentrate and spend most days in her shop without pain and heavy flow," the staff at Hope for West Africa adds.

12-month-old Sanaa was born with a life-threatening heart defect called ventricular septal defect. This condition means she has a hole between the two lower chambers of her heart. "Blood leaks through this hole without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her sickly and weak," says our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA). Sanaa lives in Haiti with her parents and newborn brother. "Her father works at a small store, and her mother cares for the children. Because of her illness, Sanaa is usually very tired and uninterested in playing, and frequently gets colds and fevers," HCA explains. Hundreds of children are born with heart defects every year in Haiti and unfortunately, many don't have access to the life-saving surgery they need. Gift of Life International has raised $5,000 towards Sana's surgery at a local hospital. We can fund the rest of the procedure, including overseas transportation and surgery preparation, for $1,500. "Following surgery, normal blood flow should be restored to Sanaa's heart and she should not have any further cardiac symptoms," HCA says. Sana's mother shares, "I am very hopeful that after surgery Sanaa will be healthy and strong."

Rorng, a 37-year-old woman, works as a farmer in Cambodia. She is married with one son and one daughter, and “in her free time she cooks for her family, watches Khmer movies on TV, and listens to Khmer traditional music,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). In August of 2015, Rorng was in a moto accident and fractured her left ankle. “She received Khmer traditional medicine treatment in the province but her ankle did not improve,” continues CSC. Rorng is in pain whenever she tries to walk. After traveling three hours with her husband to reach CSC, Rorng was told that she will need an open reduction internal fixation surgery, a procedure that will reset the bone and ensure that it heals properly. The surgery will cost $405 and includes post-operational care. “After surgery, Rorng will be able to walk again without pain. Her left ankle will be healed and she can return home to work on the farm," CSC shares. “I hope after surgery I can walk properly again,” says Rorng. “I will go back home and work to support my family.”

"In the future, we want to return to Burma and open a shop where we will sell dried food," says Cho Mar, a 44-year-old farmer who moved to Thailand with her husband in order to find better work opportunities. "Four years ago, Cho Mar started experiencing heavy bleeding," reports our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). This was also accompanied by abdominal pains, but after a few months her symptoms subsided so she did not seek any treatment. This past September, however, the same symptoms came back and she also felt a mass in her abdomen. When Cho Mar came to the clinic for an ultrasound, she was diagnosed with a uterine myoma - a non-cancerous growth of fibroids in the uterus caused by abnormal development of muscle cells. If left untreated, these uterine fibroids will continue to grow and cause her severe pain and blood loss. Financing Cho Mar's medical treatment has been very difficult. Cho Mar and her husband do not have ID documentation, so transportation to reach medical treatment has been very expensive. Drivers often over-charge them, and there are several police/immigration checkpoints along the way where they must pay additional fees. Even though Cho Mar's husband works seven days a week on the farm, Cho Mar has been unable to work the past seven months due to her condition. BBP explains, "They have to use their money wisely, because it's just enough to cover their daily expenses. They cannot save or pay for unexpected costs." With $1500, Cho Mar will have a hysterectomy where doctors will surgically remove her uterus and prevent the uterine fibroids from redeveloping in the future. After her surgery, Cho Mar will no longer have pain and discomfort so she can return to work on the farm with her husband. Cho Mar is eager to return home healthy so she can continue working towards her goals. "My dream is to go back to work so that we can start to save money," Cho Mar shares with us.

Eh Tha is a six-month-old girl who lives with her parents in Burma. When Eh Tha was born, her mother noticed a small lump between her daughter's eyes. A few months later, the lump has grown larger and decreased the vision in Eh Tha's right eye. Eh Tha's mother brought her daughter to see our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), where she was diagnosed with encephalocele -- a defect of the neural tube that causes sac-like protrusions of the brain. This condition has also caused a fluid buildup that has contributed to Eh Tha's vision loss. Eh Tha needs surgery to remove the mass and the fluid behind her eyes, but her parents cannot afford the treatment. BBP tells us, "her father is a teacher and her mother looks after her at home. Eh Tha is the first and only daughter for them." For $1485, Eh Tha will receive an operation to provide her with a shunt to remove the fluid buildup and pressure behind her eye. Surgery will also prevent further vision loss, giving Eh Tha the ability to see. "I want my daughter to be healthy and happy," her mother shares. "I want her to recover and see well when she grows up."