Nay Myo is a nine-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his parents and has one older brother. Nay Myo's parents work as day laborers. They cut grasses, plant vegetation, and collect bamboo shoots. When Nay Myo was three months old, he fell very sick. He was subsequently diagnosed with thalassemia, a blood disorder characterized by an abnormal oxygen-carrying protein. Symptoms of this condition include fatigue, anemia, and trouble breathing. In order to treat these symptoms, Nay Myo has to receive oral medications and blood transfusions on a regular basis. Thalassemia has also caused Nay Myo's spleen to enlarge. After examination, his doctors decided to remove the spleen before other medical complications arise. On January 18, Nay Myo will undergo a splenectomy. Our medical partner is asking for $1,500 to fund the surgery. Nay Myo's mother is inspired by the caring hospital staff. She says, "I want Nay Myo to be an educated person and work like the staff."

22 year-old Sharif lives with his extended family in a village about 50km from the hospital. When he is feeling well, he contributes to the family income by working as a motorcycle mechanic, but his painful hernia has made working difficult. He has had a hernia for about three years and his pain makes it difficult to have the strength he needs to release and tighten the nuts and bolts on motorcycles. At first, the pain would come and go, and he thought it might be a boil. He tried different treatments in the village, but nothing helped. Surgery will repair the weak area in his abdominal muscles through which tissue is bulging, resolving his discomfort. “After I have surgery, I will be able to do the work I have difficulty doing now and be able to help support my family, which is important to me” says Sharif. He is also looking forward to being able to play on the village soccer team again, which he enjoys doing when he is not working. Sharif adds, "Thank you very much for helping me get back to work. May God bless you.”

Meet Richard, a cute, one-year old baby boy from Tanzania. Richard likes to play with cars and crawl around. He is an only child and his parents “love him very much," says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Richard was born with bilateral clubfoot. This congenital deformity has delayed his ability to begin walking, and if not treated, Richard will not have the ability to walk on the sole of his foot or wear normal shoes. For $1,160, we can fund treatment that will allow Richard to walk normally for the rest of his life. The cost of the treatment includes cost for the surgery as well as a fiberglass cast. Richard's parents are small-scale farmers and have “already spent a lot of money trying to look for the right treatment for their son without success. Now that they have found where the clubfoot can be corrected, they do not have enough funds to cover the treatment,” says our partner, AMHF. Let's help Richard get walking. As Richard's mother says, “I would like my son to be able to walk, go to school, study well, get a good career and live a better life.”