Thu Zar is a 21-year-old woman who lives with her parents, three sisters, and three nieces in Mae Sot near the Thailand-Burma border. Her family moved from Shan State in Burma to Thailand in 2008 in search of better opportunities. She used to work at a logistics company until two weeks ago when she quit due to her condition. Her parents run a small shop from their home, and her oldest sister is a cleaner at a restaurant. One of her other sister’s is unemployed and her third sister as well as her three nieces all go to school. In 2015, Thu Zar felt a small mobile mass in her chest. She did not feel any pain at the time and forgot about the mass. In 2019, she attended a workshop about reproductive health at her school, run by Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). During the workshop she remembered the mass and later when she was alone, she checked to see if it was still there. She felt the mass and thought that it had increased in size, but she did not experience any pain. The next day, she told the workshop trainer about the mass. The trainer told her to go to MTC for treatment. However, Thu Zar decided she did not want to take time off from school to go to the clinic, since she thought the mass was not causing her any pain or discomfort. Now, Thu Zar's condition has worsened and causes her great pain. She can only sleep on her back, because if she sleeps in any other position she experiences immense pain. Thu Zar sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on June 9th to heal her condition. She is raising $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Thu Zar is very worried about her health and told us, "I feel very sad and depressed with this condition."

Abdunasir is beautiful toddler from Ethiopia. He loves to play with his mom and dad. They shared that he is already smart and fast, and loves to run and play. Abdulnasir is the first child to his parents. Abdunasir's mom is a homemaker but sometimes she helps washing people’s clothes for income. His dad is a traditional farmer. Their home area has been drought-affected for many years and shared that they can’t sustain the family from their harvest. Their basic needs are supported by well-wishers and support from the government. Abdunasir was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of future complications. His mom is worried and concerned because of his condition. She said “I showed friends and family the case seeking explanation and help. Then I took him to many hospitals. Finally, I found out about BKMCM and brought him here.” Fortunately, Abdunasir is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on May 10th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. His mom told us, “After the treatment I hope my boy will heal. I will feed other poor people if my child heals. And I will bless all those who support us.”

U Chit is a 42-year-old husband and father from Burma. He lives with his in-laws, wife and son. His father-in-law works as a day laborer, while his wife and his mother-in-law are homemakers. U Chit used to work with his father-in-law, and also as a motorcycle taxi driver for extra income. However, he stopped working in January when his health worsened. When schools reopen, his son will begin kindergarten. A little over a year ago, U Chit began experiencing dizziness, fatigue, tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing when he exerted himself. A month later, he visited a local clinic where he was diagnosed with high blood pressure. However, in December 2021, U Chit lost a lot of weight and experienced night sweats in addition to his other symptoms. He was diagnosed with aortic valve regurgitation, mitral valve regurgitation and tricuspid valve regurgitation, and was placed on a waiting list to receive surgery. Because his condition is severe, the doctor recommended that he undergo surgery as soon as possible. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), is helping U Chit access treatment. On April 8th, he will undergo mitral valve replacement surgery at BCMF's care center. After recovery, his symptoms should improve. Now, he needs help raising $1,500 to fund his procedure and care. U Chit shared, "I gave up and I was ready to die before. There are a lot of heart patients waiting to receiving surgery. Since I heard that I could have surgery with the help of donors, I feel like there is hope that I will survive. I have to look after my family because my son is still young. I will always remember everything the donors did for me."

Kervensley is a 6-month-old baby boy from Haiti. Kervensley is the firstborn child in his family and he brings his parents a great deal of joy. Kervensley has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. Without treatment, Kervensley will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is assisting Kervensley's parents in raising $957 to cover the cost of surgery for Kervensley at Hospital Bernard Mevs. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on March 7th. This critical treatment will drain the excess fluid from Kervensley's brain to reduce intracranial pressure. With proper treatment, Kervensley will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Kervensley's parents are hopeful to see their son be able to walk, talk, and play with other children as he grows older.

Ko Myo lives with his mother in a village in Burma. He used to be a motorcycle taxi driver but stopped working two months ago when his health deteriorated. His mother and wife currently care for him, washing clothes and working in a clothing factory in Yangon, earning income to support their family. With the help of Watsi donors, Ko Myo underwent his second round of laser treatment in January 2020, at Mae Sot Hospital in Thailand, to breakup stones in his left kidney. He was scheduled to undergo a third round of laser treatment however, when the Thai-Burma border closed in March 2020 due to increasing COVID-19 cases, Ko Myo was not able to go back to the hospital. He felt better until the first week of December 2021 when he started experiencing a lot of pain in his waist when he sat for a long time. With the border still closed and without enough money to go to a hospital, Ko Myo sought advice. He then went with our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, in Yangon to a clinic in January 2022 and was able to visit our partner's care center, Shin Par Ku Hospital. The doctor has told him he will need surgery on his left kidney to remove the stone and has scheduled him to have the procedure on February 6th. Currently, Ko Myo has little appetite and experiences pain in the left side of his back. He is eagerly awaiting surgery. He shared, "I pity my wife because she has to work hard and support me. Now, I am so happy that I will receive surgery soon," he said. "One day I want to open my own shop in the market and sew children's clothing."

Benson is a twin two-year-old. His mom shared that Benson is a playful boy but a little shy and quiet compared to his twin brother who is more social and more talkative. Benson’s mother makes a living doing other people’s laundry while his father is a public transport driver commonly known as a “daladala” driver in Tanzania. Their income is not enough to provide for the family's needs and still cover Benson’s needed treatment cost. They are asking for help to support his medical care. Benson was diagnosed with bilateral genu varus. He and his brother were born healthy babies and their growth has been on track until they learned to walk. Benson’s mother started to notice that his legs were not straight as he started to crawl. He took a long time to learn to stand and walk compared to his twin. When he got on his feet and walked, his mother noticed that his legs were bowed outwards. Benson's mother had never taken him to any hospital for help or treatment, she thought he would eventually grow out of it but that has not been the case. His condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, his legs keep bowing outwards, making walking more difficult. One of Benson’s father’s friends advised his parents to seek treatment for him. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Benson. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 7th. Treatment will hopefully restore Benson's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Benson’s mother says, “I would love to see Benson walking normally like his brother but the treatment cost is too high for us.”

Marigarita is a four-year-old girl and the youngest in a family of four children. Both of her parents are farmers, growing maize for food. They get some money from doing manual labor jobs such as harvesting and looking after other people's farms. Marigarita was diagnosed with bilateral genu valgus. Her legs bow inward so that her knees touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, she feels pain after walking a long distance. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Marigarita. The procedure is scheduled to take place on December 3rd. Treatment will hopefully restore Marigarita's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Marigarita’s mother says, “Please help treat my daughter so that she can walk well without difficulty.”

Salomy is a sixty-two-year-old farmer, a mother of 6 (3 boys and 3 girls), and a wife to a loving husband who had a stroke in 2010. Salomy is a very responsible woman and able to take care of the family including her grandchildren through small-scale farming and business. She sells Irish potatoes the she grows on her family farm in Malawi. She owns a big farm and used to make lots of produce; unfortunately the productivity has now gone down as she is unable to work or supervise the farm work due to her current health condition. Eight years ago Salomy developed a swelling in the neck and she assumed it would go away with time. When she noticed that the swelling was still growing, she started visiting the nearest health center. At that point then she was able to continue working in her field and do her business as usual. For the past 2 years however, the condition has destabilized her normal life since she cannot breathe properly and she cannot walk a long distance to buy the products she needs to sell. This has been a very challenging part as a breadwinner to sustain the home and provide the required support to her sick husband. Salomy visited a number of hospitals but had no chance to meet a surgeon to discuss how her problem will be solved. A month ago she was talking to a friend who partially knows about Partners in Hope and she asked a relative from Lilongwe to enquire for her. She learned that she could be able to meet the surgeon and traveled all the way from Mzimba to Lilongwe where she is now temporarily lodging at her distant relative’s home just to have her surgery. She met the surgeon who made a diagnosis of goiter and recommended surgical removal of the goiter in a procedure called thyroidectomy. Goiter is an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland on the front and sides of the neck. Thyroidectomy, on the other hand, is the surgical removal of the enlarged thyroid gland as treatment for the goiter. Salomy is unable to meet the whole cost of surgery due to her multiple responsibilities and she has no medical insurance. She believes the surgical operation will give her peace of mind, the symptoms will go away and she will continue providing her best support to her family and especially her husband who is unable to do most of the things by himself. The surgery will restore Salomy’s multiple abilities as the main pillar of the family. Salomy says, "My main fear is the responsibilities that I carry as a farmer, a breadwinner, a mother, a wife, and a grandmother. If I go unassisted all these important roles will suffer. When successful, the surgery will not only benefit me but mostly the whole family that I care for."