Tabitha is a mother of four children and shared that her husband passed away few years ago. She works hard to find jobs, mostly doing laundry for people, to provide for her family. Over the years, she has managed to take care of her four children with the limited income she gets from her work. Last November, Tabitha noticed a worrisome bump and consulted with her daughters who advised her to visit a hospital. She gathered some funds and visited a hospital nearby, but was not able to receive any help. She went to another facility that referred her to our Medical Partner's care center Kijabe Hospital. There doctors have told Tabitha that she needs an urgent surgery. Tabitha has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been advised to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,110 to cover the cost of a mastectomy for Tabitha. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 14th. After treatment, Tabitha will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Tabitha says, "I was very shocked when I learned about my condition and up to now, I do not know what to do as I cannot afford the surgery.”

Rommel is a 55-year-old construction worker from Cambodia. Rommel has one son and one daughter, they are all finished with their schooling and now work in the Philippines. When Rommel is not working he enjoys exercising, playing tennis, listening to music, swimming, and drinking beer with friends. In early May 2020, Rommel slipped and fell on his left wrist while he was playing tennis. The injury caused a closed fracture of his left wrist. It is difficult for him to use his wrist and he has bruising, swelling, and pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On May 13th, Rommel will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $465. This procedure will help him use his hand easily again, and relieve him of pain. "I hope that after surgery I can use my wrist and move my hand in any direction easily without pain. Then I can continue playing my favorite sports and working," Rommel said.

Suliman is an 11-month baby who needs surgery in Ethiopia. His family came from the Gambia in August 2019 in need of medical care. His mom gave birth to Suliman when she was 20 years old. She dropped out of school when she was in Grade 8 because her mom couldn’t afford to send her to school anymore. Suliman has multiple birth defects including cleft lip, club foot, tongue-tie, fused finger, and bilateral undescended testicles. His mom tried to get her baby treated in the Gambia but the hospitals referred them to another country that can better provide the surgery. Since the family could not afford to get the child the surgery they communicated to different organizations and were able to come to Ethiopia. Suliman has now finished all his surgeries except undescended testicles and fused fingers. Suliman was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Suliman has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Suliman will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on May 5th. AMHF is requesting $1,021 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. "I see good hope for him once he finishes his last operation. Because he will be free of all the potential deformities and disabilities and he can live like a normal person. He can live as healthy as others free from the risk of other future complications. And I believe he will go to school and help himself well," Suliman's mom says.

Moses is a teenager from Kenya, who is doing well in school. Moses’s mother is a stay-at-home mom while his father is employed casually as a taxi driver. Moses is the oldest of three children. He lives with his parents and younger siblings in a two-roomed rental house in Central Kenya. Moses was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Moses has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. Moses will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on March 10th. AMHF is requesting $535 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. “I have researched about the condition and I am quite stressed. Please help me,” says Moses.

Abel is five-year-old quite a boy in Kindergarten. He hails from Kapchesoo village on the hills of Elgeyo Marakwet County in Kenya. Last Thursday evening, Abel came to Watsi's medical partner's hospital accompanied by his mother after a fall while playing with his friends. He sustained an injury on his left hand now he is unable to flex his elbow and has severe pain. On arrival an X-Ray was done that confirmed that Abel has a completely displaced supracondylar fracture. Abel has been admitted in the paediatrics ward awaiting OREF/K-wiring surgery. Abel is the sixth born child in a family of seven. Abel’s father is a farmer and his mother is a housewife. His father earns an average of $56.00 in a month from his farm products. Having been blessed with seven children, his father's income is too little to meet the needs of his children. He feels it’s impossible to raise money for Abel’s surgery bill with their family’s low socioeconomic status, and that has even caused more fear for him. Abel has been scheduled for surgery yet the family is still uncertain on how they will pay the bills. They are requesting any well-wisher to support them so that their son can be operated on. Abel’s mother shared, “Nothing hurts a parent like watching your child cry in pain, it has been a nightmare to me and a difficult time for our family. We are looking forward to seeing Abel in good spirits again.”

Esther is an elderly lady from Kenya. Esther is a mother of 2 children whom she has struggled to raise for the past 23 years. She lost her husband in 1996 and since then has been struggling with poverty. She had to sell a small piece of land to educate her children. Esther does not have any income and relies mainly on friends and relatives. Two years ago, Esther has been experiencing persistent bleeding. She has been diagnosed with a large ovarian tumor that is suspected to be malignant. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $756 to fund Esther's surgery. On September 13th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Esther will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Esther says, “I am appealing for your kind support to help me access medical care. I hope that soon Il be free from the complications."

Khin lives with his wife and five children along the Thai-Burma border. Khin and his wife work as porters on the river that runs between the Thai-Burma border. They carry items to and from the boats that bring Burma people across to Thailand. However, Khin has been unable to work for the past year, and his wife stopped working in December 2019, when she accompanied Khin to Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). His eldest son works at a bicycle shop as a salesman and earns 200 baht (approx. 7 USD) per day. Khin’s other children all go to school. One day in February 2019, Khin was playing football with his friends. During the game, Khin went to hit the ball with the inside of his right foot. However, someone from the opponent team accidentally kicked him above his right ankle when they tried to take the ball away from him. Right away, Khin’s leg hurt and he was unable to continue with the game. His friend brought him back home. For the next two months, Khin sought help from a traditional masseuse and a traditional healer. When neither treatments helped, he sought help from a health worker. There, he received an injection into his right leg, close to his injury. Khin said, “As soon as I received the injection, I felt better but it did not last for a long time and the pain returned.” He returned twice more and each time he received another injection that at first helped reduce the pain. One day, Khin heard about a traditional healer from a friend. When he went to see them, the traditional healer applied a bandage with herbs to his injured leg and provided him with instructions on how to reapply the bandage at home. Afterward, whenever Khin applied the bandage with herbs, he felt better so he continued to reapply it for the next six months. Khin thought his leg would finally heal, but after using the bandage for six months, he noticed that the area around his ankle and his right foot had become swollen, and that there was pus from sores on his ankle and the sole of his foot. A friend told him about a charitable clinic called MTC right across the border in Mae Sot, Thailand. Khin decided to seek help there, so accompanied by his wife, they arrived at MTC on the 1st of December 2019. He was admitted right away and he received oral medication, injections and had his leg dressed and changed daily. Every 10 days, he also had the pus in his injured leg drained. During the first week of January 2020, MTC brought Khin to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further treatment. There, he received blood tests and an X-ray before the doctor told him that he needs to receive surgery which would cost him around 30,000 baht (approx. 1,000 USD). However, Khin was unable to pay for surgery. Once Khin was brought back to MTC, the medic saw that he had been diagnosed with chronic osteomyelitis, a severe infection of his bone, and referred him to Watsi Partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) for assistance in accessing further treatment. BCMF connected him to Mawlamyine Christine Leprosy Hospital (MCLH) in Burma. After the doctor reviewed his medical records, the doctor recommended an amputation of his right leg below the knee. Currently, Khin suffers from a lot of pain in his right leg at night and he is not able to sleep. During the day however, the pain lessens if he does not walk long distances. He also needs to use crutches to get around. Khin said, “I would like to feel better as soon as possible so that I can go back to work to support my family and so that we can pay back our loan.”

Dylan is a child from Kenya. Dylan and his mother depend on his aunt who sells cereals and has two children besides Dylan. Dylan's mother just completed school and yet to land a job. Dylan’s father left them days before he was born and does not want to be associated with them. Dylan 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 infertility. Fortunately, Dylan is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on November 15th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $700 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. “It pains to know that I cannot fully support my son but I trust God will make a way,” says Dylan’s mother.

David is a construction worker from Kenya. He is a widowed father of two children. He worked on construction sites to be able to support his children. Around August this year, David was headed home when a speeding vehicle hit him from the back and sped off. Some good Samaritans picked him up and brought him to Kijabe hospital where he was found to have a left leg double fracture. He is not able to walk and is restricted to a wheelchair. David is also in pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On November 29th, David will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Treatment will enable David to walk again and work so that he can provide for his children. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,451 to fund this procedure. “I kindly request for financial help to get independent once again,” says David.

Chantha is a 4th grade student from Cambodia. She is the youngest of four siblings, and enjoys playing with her toys, watching television, and going for walks around the village with the family. When she was two years old, Chantha accidentally came into contact with an open flame and burned three of her fingers on her left hand. The burn has since healed, but the skin has tightened around the fingers, making it difficult for her to flex her hand. When Chantha learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On September 11th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to release the skin around her fingers and allow her to move her fingers and hand without difficulty. Now, she needs help to fund this $448 procedure. "I hope that my daughter will be able to move her hand normally and her hand will look better than before." -Chantha's Mother

Mary walks into my office with the top of her cardigan covering her chin. She sits on the chair opposite me with one hand clasping the top of her black cardigan to veil the swell running from her jawline to her neck. The lower lip protrudes with a peeping swelling attached in so that her upper lip cannot touch the lower one. This has been Mary’s life for over 6 months. Late last year, Mary developed a small swelling on her jaw. It was not painful and therefore she did not think of it as serious. As time passed, the swell grew in size. Mary who could eat just about anything now has restrictions on what she can eat. There is pain when she bends and this has also obstructed her working. Mary is married with two children. She was a subsistence farmer before the condition restricted her activities. Mary and her husband depend on one of their daughter who sells second-hand clothes. Besides helping her parents, she has four children under her care. Mary says, “Please help me because I can barely eat."

Shin is a 15-year-old novice monk from Burma. He lives and studies with his brother in Aung Damar Zinyone Learning Centre Monastery in Insein Township, Yangon Division. His father is a government officer for the ministry of religious affairs and culture and his mother is a shopkeeper and sells rice and curry. Although his parents send them pocket money, they cannot always do so. Instead, Shin and his brother are supported by the monks, and he collects donations of food from the community with the other monks, during morning alms collections. In his free time Shin like to play football with his friends. Sometimes, he likes to read books and study to learn new things. Shin was diagnosed with a heart condition that involves a malformation of the 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, Shin has difficulty breathing, is unable to sleep at night and sometimes he has a fever during the night. He cannot walk long distances and he has difficulty walking up stairs. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement for Shin. The treatment is scheduled to take place on August 21 and, once completed, will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably. “When I grow up, I want to become a monk to help those in need as well as children whose parents cannot afford to send them to school,” said Shin. “This has been my dream since I was a child.”