Pov is a farmer from Cambodia. He has one son and enjoys spending time with his family. Two years ago, Pov 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, Pov experiences headaches, tenderness on his ear, ear discharge, hearing loss, and tinnitus. He's running out of money to keep treating it at the pharmacy near his village, and he's worried his hearing loss will get worse. Pov traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On December 12, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his left ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $842 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. "I hope my brother can stop the pain and discharge from his ear," says his sister.

Willy is a 22-year-old man from Kenya. He is the the second born in a family of eight children. Willy's parents are peasant farmers. Willy was hit by a vehicle and sustained bilateral hip injuries. Willy has not received any treatment since the accident occurred, due to his family's tight finances. Willy is in pain and cannot stand or walk without support. Willy's family is not able to raise the funds needed for his treatment. Willy's mother says, “Please help my son go for surgery. Even if we went back home, there is no way could raise the money. In fact the money we used to come to the hospital was raised by well-wishers.” Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $1,231 to fund Willy's surgery. He will undergo surgery to repair his hip injuries on July 10.

Myo is a two-month-old boy from Burma. His father works as a tenant farmer and a day laborer on neighboring farms. He lives with his parents in the western part of the country. Soon after he was born, Myo's abdomen began to swell. They took him to a midwife, who recommended that they increase his fluid intake. Myo was unable to drink more, however, and his abdomen grew larger and larger. The midwife provided them with medication to help release gas, but it did not help. His parents took him to the hospital and were sent home after a few days when his swelling went down. Soon enough, the swelling returned and his parents took him back to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a hernia. This means that there is a gap in the abdominal wall where the intestine protrudes through. Surgery is required to correct the issue. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Myo's surgery. He is scheduled for treatment on October 20 at our medical partner's care center, Mae Sot General Hospital. After his operation, Myo will be able to grow and develop normally. “I want my son to be a doctor when he grows up,” Myo's mother says. “I want my son to get a chance to study in Thailand," his father adds.

Nai is a 43-year-old woman who lives with her family in a village in Karen State, Burma. In February, Nai cut two of her toes while walking around her village. After she tried to clean the cuts, they got worse, and the tissue in and around them started to darken. A week later, Nai’s foot was in a lot of pain and her toes were swelling. She visited a medical clinic, and her left leg was amputated in March. Now, her left leg is fully recovered. However, she recently began noticing pain and itching in her right leg. The pain worsened and was replaced by numbness over the course of the summer, so she returned to the hospital for further treatment. On September 1, surgeons will operate on Nai's painful right leg. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, requests $1,500 for a below-knee amputation. Nai says, "My leg is very painful and I can't walk or sleep at all. I feel sad because I cannot work and have to spend time in the hospital. I just want to recover."

Emma is 11 years old and lives near Port-au-Prince with her parents, two sisters, and one brother. She is in the fifth grade in school and is a very good student. She hopes to become a teacher or a writer when she grows up. Emma was born with a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus, in which a hole in the heart which normally closes shortly after birth remains open. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her short of breath. Emma's family took her to our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance. They learned that she will need to have a surgery soon to help her condition. Her surgery is scheduled on May 5. Emma's treatment has been subsidized by the Gift of Life International in the amount of $5,000. However, her family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. After treatment, Emma will be free from her condition and able to go back to living her life. "I am happy to be able to have this surgery so that I can do everything my friends do without getting tired," says Emma.

Robert is a 68-year-old farmer from Malawi. He raises goats and runs a small maize farm. He lives with his wife, and they have eight children and ten grandchildren. When not tending his crops and animals, Robert likes to spend time with his wife. Since 2013, Robert has had difficulty urinating. Doctors have recommended prostate surgery to restore his urinary function. On March 28, Robert will undergo the prostate surgery he needs to be healthy. Our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $733 to fund the surgery. Robert and his family are very happy that he will now get his surgery!

Anne-Marie is a 58-year-old woman from Haiti. She lives with her cousin. To support herself, Anne-Marie is a street merchant, selling products such as clothing and shoes. When not working, she enjoys going to church, where she is very involved. In September 2016, Anne-Marie discovered a small mass in her breast. As the mass increased in size, Anne-Marie visited her doctor, who then referred her to St. Luc Family Hospital, our medical partner's care center. There, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She began chemotherapy in February 2017. After four sessions of chemotherapy, Anne-Marie is ready to continue to the next step of her treatment. On May 10, Anne-Marie will undergo a mastectomy. Our medical partner, Innovating Health International, is asking for $1,085 to cover the cost of her operation. Anne-Marie is looking forward to feeling like herself again and is very excited to get back to being active and healthy.

Jay is a 20-month-old boy from the Philippines. He loves to be with his mother, while his father works outside as a farmer. Jay has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens his growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, he will begin $184 malnutrition treatment on February 23. Jay will be treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s home-based feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM’s professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. Jay's mother says, "I hope Jay will grow healthy and strong and that he will finish his studies."