Alice is a 49-year-old woman from central Kenya. She is married with four children. Alice is a housewife and her husband is a subsistence farmer. Their eldest daughter who accompanied Alice to the hospital is a street vendor. One year ago, Alice began to experience troubling symptoms, including difficulty in swallowing and a swelling on the neck. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Alice receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on August 25th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $657, and she and her family need help raising money. "It would be very good to see myself normal again without the swelling. I believe through God’s mercy Watsi will come to my aid,” said Alice.

Eunice is a 41-year-old shopkeeper from Uganda. She is a mother of three children, two in primary school and one who has yet to enter school. Two years ago, Eunice began to experience troubling symptoms, including shortness of breath and neck swelling. The swelling causes her breathing problems and fatigue, especially when she does strenuous activities such as carrying things on her head. Eunice had been to different hospitals before and treated with pain medication, but her condition did not improve. She eventually came to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Nyakibale Hospital and had a scan. The doctor has diagnosed her with a goitre, an abnormal swelling of the thyroid glands. Now, Eunice needs a thyroidectomy surgery to correct the condition and reduce instances of further complications. However, this procedure is costly for Eunice and her family. She operates a small retail shop in one room of her two-roomed house, and shares the other room with her children. Her husband is a taxi conductor. They have limited income to meet daily needs and cannot afford the cost of surgery. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Eunice receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on October 20th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family are appealing for financial help to fund the cost of surgery. Eunice shared, “I have hopes that once my surgery goes well as planned, I will be able to regain my health and continue with my business.”

Kabula is the fifth born child in her family and was born with Spina Bifida. Her parents were referred to a more advanced hospital for treatment but they could not afford to travel to there or the cost of treatment that would be needed. They returned home tried to raise money but months kept passing by and they still could not afford it. Kabula kept getting sick every now and then with fever and vomiting, and her family took her to the nearby clinic where they were given medications. Kabula's parents separated two months ago, her mom shared, as Kabula's father was blaming her mom for giving birth to a child with Hydrocephalus. He also felt he could not afford any treatment for her with his living as a subsistence farmer, so Kabula's mother has been caring for her alone. Kabula's mother has now returned back to her parent's house to live. Kabula has been scheduled for Spina Bifida repair surgery and a VPS insertion and her mother is requesting financial support. She said, “I have been left with no support from my husband due to our child’s condition. Please help save her life.”

Marina is a 37-year-old Guatemalan woman who is currently 36 weeks pregnant with her ninth child. Although she's never had any complications with her previous pregnancies, she was recently found to have high blood pressure during a visit to a government health center. During pregnancy, high blood pressure can be an early sign of preeclampsia, a condition which can lead to life-threatening complications for a pregnant woman and her fetus. "Marina was worried when she heard how high her blood pressure was and so she contacted her midwife, who immediately brought her to us," explains our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). "Immediate care for Marina and her unborn child will save their lives." $377 funds Marina's hospital stay, including an induced labor, to ensure she safely delivers her healthy child. WK explains the importance of this care: "Constant monitoring from the moment she checks into the hospital and an eventual delivery in the hospital will prevent complications due to preeclampsia and keep Marina and her baby as safe as possible." "I am ready to do what I must for the health of my baby, and so I can continue to live for my family," Marina shares. "Thank you for caring for me and for supporting my husband and I in this." "When Marina left our office today, she seemed calm and strong – ready to take on anything," WK adds.

“Keyner is a happy baby. He loves to play with his neighbors and cousins. The other kids enjoy having him around, and often times call him hermanito (‘little brother’) even if they are unrelated to him," says our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). This baby brother to all is Keyner, a six-month-old boy from Guatemala. Shortly after his birth, Keyner’s father left his family. Keyner lives with his mother, who has been unable to breastfeed due to lactation failure. Keyner has been subsiding on “atol, typically consisting of boiled water and pulverized corn," says WK. "However, without the immune resistance from him mother’s breast milk, Keyner’s immune system has become extremely weak. He was admitted to the hospital for 15 days due to a high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. He is rapidly losing weight and in constant need of medical attention.” Thankfully, lactation failure is easily solved. With $1,220, WK will provide “nutrition education, formula supplementation, and deworming medication" for Keyner and his mother. "His diarrhea due to a parasitic infection will stop, he will recoup previously lost weight, and his immune system will strengthen," WK adds. “I want my child to be able to study and become a professional… not like me. I have never studied, and now I cannot get a job to support us," shares Keyner's mother. "I want to see my baby grown, to see him smiling and walking. Above all I want to be the one to bring up my son.”

Meet Lwin, a 42-year-old father from Burma who has kidney stones. “Lwin currently experiences back pain, abdominal pain, and stomach pain. Sometimes he gets dizzy and feels weak and he also has low blood pressure,” reports our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). When Lwin previously went to the hospital, he was misdiagnosed and the kidney stones remained. It wasn't until months later that he received the correct diagnosis. “Lwin has five children and four of them are studying. Due to his illness, he cannot support his children and cannot provide any income for the family. His family has to rely on selling ducks and chickens,” continues BBP. “After his treatment, Lwin wants to go back to his normal life, return to work, and take care of his family.” Lwin aspires for all of his children to obtain an education. For $1500, we can fund surgery to remove Lwin’s kidney stones and have him return to his family healthy and able to work. “Lwin will be able to live pain free and return to work, allowing him to focus on his family’s welfare,” says BBP. “It will also restore his dignity which he feels like he has lost over the last year.”