Phylis is a 34 year old housewife from Kenya. She is married, has four children aged between 14 years and 18 months, and her husband works as a mechanic. Three months ago, Phylis began to experience troubling symptoms, including shortness of breath and heart palpitations. 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 Phylis receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 19th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $625, and she and her family need help raising money. “I look forward to raising my children and especially my baby without my family having to worry about my health,” says Phylis.

Sreynich is a 35-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has two sons and one daughter, and likes to do housework in her free time. When she was ten years old, Sreynich had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in both ears to perforate. For this reason, Sreynich experiences ear discharge, pain, irritation, and hearing loss. She is unable to hear clearly, affecting her speech and communication with others. Sreynich traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On July 9, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in both ears. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforations. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $831 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She says, "I hope that after my surgery, the infection will stop and my hearing will improve."

Win is 54-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her father, sister, brother-in-law and two nephews. She usually cares for her father and looks after him. Three years ago, Win started to experience abdominal and back pain. She has been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. Currently, she suffers from pain in her lower abdomen. She also feels dizzy, has back pain, and cannot sit for long periods of time. Doctors want Win to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Win's CT scan and care, scheduled for March 18. "When I get better, I want to look after my father full-time and give him all of my attention," said Win.

Ang is a cashew nut farmer from Cambodia. She is married with one son and one daughter and likes to watch TV. Ten years ago, Ang developed a pterygium in both eyes, causing her blurred vision, burning, irritation, and tearing. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Ang learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for Three and a half hours seeking treatment. Ang needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $201. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for January 21. She says, "I hope that my eye surgery is successful and makes me able to do my work. I want to go anywhere outside with a better feeling than now."

Smart is a 55-year-old farmer from a village in Malawi. He and his wife have seven children and five grandchildren. Smart also works as a security guard. In his free time, he enjoys reading and chatting with his village friends. In early December, Smart started to experience urinary dysfunction. He was in pain and had difficulty working. Fortunately, on December 20, Smart will undergo prostate surgery. His family cannot afford this treatment, so our medical partner, World Altering Medicine, is requesting $726 in funding. Once Smart receives his surgery, his prognosis is excellent. "I have no fear of the surgery," he says, "I give thanks to Watsi!"

Mary is a confident, 12-year-old girl who likes to run and skip rope. She is the youngest in a family of eight children in Tanzania. She cannot remember when exactly her left leg became weak and gradually bent outwards. Mary was born with bilateral genu varus, commonly known as knocked knees. As a result of her condition, Mary frequently has pain when running. If her condition is untreated she could develop early osteoarthritis. Her parents are not able to afford surgery, as they are small-scale farmers and only earn enough to support Mary and her siblings' basic needs. For $940, Mary's legs will be surgically aligned to prevent them from hitting one another when she walks and runs. With this operation, Mary will be more mobile and free from pain so that she can concentrate in school. She will be able to more easily fulfill her dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher.

“We are the same as any parents: we only want the best for our son,” says the mother of Anselm, a 2-year-old boy from Kenya. Anselm’s mother recently noticed that her son had an empty scrotal sac. “Having already raised three children, she knew straight away that this was not normal and sought help at her nearest clinic,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Further investigation revealed that Anselm had undescended testes,” continues AMHF. If untreated, Anselm could be at risk of developing testicular cancer or hernia. Anselm also risks infertility in the future. “Surgery is required to help Anselm,” says AMHF, “but with limited finances, his family is unable to raise the funds to pay for his surgical care. Anselm’s mother sells secondhand clothes with an average daily income of only $2. His father is unemployed and is trying desperately to find a job to support his family,” which currently lives together in a single-room rental house. For $570, we can fund Anselm’s double orchidopexy procedure, during which doctors will surgically move the undescended testes into the scrotum and permanently fix them there. This operation will reduce Anselm’s risk of developing the aforementioned complications. “We pray that someone can help him,” says Anselm’s mother. Let’s help fund Anselm’s surgery!

Two-month-old Noemi is acutely malnourished. She lives with her mother in Guatemala, and her mother is currently unable to produce breastmilk. "Her mother cannot afford formula, so she has been giving her daughter water with sugar or corn mush when she is hungry," explains our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). "Unfortunately, this has given Noemi stomach problems, put her at increased of diarrhea, and has increased her risk of seizure due to the electrolyte imbalance that consuming non-breastmilk liquids causes in small infants." Noemi is dangerously underweight for her age. Her mother visited different local healers for herbal remedies to increase her milk production, but nothing worked. "Although she wants to help her daughter, she lacks the money to buy her daughter the formula she needs," says WK. With $1016, Noemi will receive the formula she needs. "This will save Noemi's life, giving her the calories, nutrients, and protein she needs to be a healthy baby," WK explains. "Her immune system will grow stronger with the treatment, and she will no longer be at risk of seizures." This funding will also provide her mother with "motivational nutrition education, giving her the tools she needs to help her daughter overcome her malnutrition and help her prevent future malnutrition and illness." "I hope that my daughter reaches a good weight and height," her mother said.

“I would love to get well and go back to work,” shares Walter, a 50-year-old widower from Kenya who fractured his left upper and lower leg in a motorcycle accident last fall. “Before the accident, Walter had been a casual laborer, moving from one homestead to another in search of casual labor for sustenance,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Since the accident, he has been unable to work on people’s farms due to his painful leg. With no income and no contact with his two daughters, Walter has had to rely on friends for financial support. “He has no place to call home, he owns nothing, and relies on [a friend] for his upkeep.” Walter needs surgery—open reduction and internal fixation—to reposition and set the broken bones of his upper and lower left leg and enable proper healing. Without treatment, “the pain will persist and there [is a risk of a] bone infection in Walter's leg,” explains AMHF. $1,410 pays for the surgery that Walter needs. Funding also covers the cost of seven days of hospital care, including imaging, blood tests, pain medicine and antibiotics, and physical therapy. “It is expected that after the treatment, Walter will have easy mobility and will be relieved of the pain,” says AMHF. “He will be able to work and earn a living.” Walter looks forward to a successful operation. “I will improve my life and help others as I have been assisted,” he said.

"Dina, a 16-year-old girl from Tanzania, is the fifth-born in a family of eight children," our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. "She barely managed to complete the last year of her primary school education due to the condition of her legs." Dina has a condition commonly known as knocked knees. Despite the pain, she "did well in her final exams and was chosen to continue with secondary education," continues AMHF. "Dina had no problems with her legs at all until two years ago when her limbs slowly started to bow inwards causing her to knock her knees when walking." Dina currently walks with difficulty, and is unable to run. "She complains of feeling pain on the knees after walking a long distance," AMHF explains. "If not treated, Dina will be at risk of developing osteoarthritis at an early age." Dina will need surgery to treat her knocked knees, but her parents are small-scale farmers and can only afford supporting their family's basic needs. "Dina’s mother also buys and sells charcoal, but still what they earn is not enough to cover the cost of corrective surgery which their daughter needs," says AMHF. $940 will enable Dina to undergo surgery to correct the alignment of her legs so that they no longer hit one another when she walks and runs. This will eliminate her discomfort and prevent her from prematurely developing osteoarthritis. "My wish is to one day become a secondary school teacher," Dina said.

On April 10, 2016, Neema was born with a lesion on her lower back which is leaking cerebral spinal fluid. "If not treated," our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) tells us, "Neema will be at risk of easily contracting infections. She is also at risk of developing hydrocephalus." Neema is the youngest of four children and lives with her parents and siblings in Tanzania. Neema's mother is a homemaker and her father owns a small business where he sells mats. Although they both work hard, their combined incomes are not enough to cover the operation that Neema needs, as well as the cost of rent and expenses related to their other children. $1,200 will ensure that Neema receives the treatment she needs, which will keep her from developing hydrocephalus - a more serious brain condition - in the future. “I pray that my baby will get well and grow up like her siblings,” said Neema’s mother.

Namayana's mother noticed that her six-month-old daughter's head was increasing in size and her eyes were changing after recovering from meningitis. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), shares that Namayana's mother sought medical attention for her daughter, who was then diagnosed with hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is excessive buildup of fluid in the brain and causes the head to swell and enlarge. "Despite her condition, Namayana is very strong," AMHF shares. "She can lift her legs high up while laying in bed. She wants to sit and move around but the size of her head won't let her." If the condition persists, Namayana may face brain damage and issues with mental and physical development. "Namayana needs treatment to prevent further developmental problems," AMHF shares. "Namayana’s mother is a homemaker and her father is a livestock keeper," but they are unable to come up with the funds for their daughter's treatment. In order to treat Namayana's hydrocephalus, doctors will insert a shunt to drain the excess fluid from her head. $775 covers the cost of surgery, a five-day hospital stay, antibiotics, and follow-up care for Namayana. AMHF expects a positive outcome. "There will be no more progressive head enlargement for Namayana and there will also be a reduced physical developmental delay." “I will be happy to see my daughter getting stronger and growing up like her siblings,” says Namayana’s mother.