Meet Khin, a 38-year old wife and mother of three children. While initially from Burma, Khin currently resides in Thailand where she sews sports clothing at a local factory to support her family. Recently, Khin has experienced increasing pain in her abdomen due to a uterine myoma. Since last February, Khin has experienced discomfort due to her condition. According to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), "Her abdomen is swollen, and she also has sharp pain in her lower abdomen. Sometimes the pain is so bad she cannot even stand." Her symptoms have ultimately brought Khin to stop working her job at the factory. A uterine myoma is a benign tumor that develops within the uterus. Myomas can multiply and grow if left untreated, leading to increased pressure on the surrounding internal organs. In cases such as Khin’s, the tumors can grow large enough to inflict nerve damage, contributing towards back leg pain. With $1500, Khin will receive a total abdominal hysterectomy to remove her uterus and cervix. This treatment will ensure that the myoma cannot redevelop later on, allowing Khin to resume her everyday activities without pain. After recovery, BBP informs us that Khin is already looking ahead to new opportunities. "Khin wants to have her own shop where she can sell Burmese noodles and curry,” BBP adds.

Meet Martine, a baby girl living with her parents and two older siblings in Haiti. Her mother is a stay-at-home mom and her father works in construction. Martine was born with a heart condition called patent ductus arteriosus, “in which a hole between two parts of the heart that normally closes by itself after a baby is born, instead remains open,” our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, tells us. “As a result, blood can flow through this hole without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen; leaving the child sickly and breathless. Without treatment, the condition can be fatal.” $1,500 covers Martine’s surgery that will repair her heart and allow her to live a long and happy life. “We are relieved to know that Martine can have this surgery – we don’t know what we would have done without this help!” share her parents.