Meet Cho, a 42-year-old mother of two from Thailand. Cho was recently diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. “For the past four or five months Cho's abdomen has started getting bigger and bigger and she started to experience a lot of pain,” explains our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “She cannot sit or stand easily. She cannot sleep well at night and she is in a lot of pain. She can feel the mass in her abdomen when she lies down. She cannot eat a lot because her abdomen is distended. She has difficulty breathing and suffers from fatigue." With $1500 in funding, Cho will receive surgery to remove the ovarian cyst. Funding will also provide pre-surgery CT scans and post-surgical outpatient visits. Following treatment, Cho hopes to work as a domestic helper in order to pay for her son's school fees. "I want to have surgery, and I want to be happy and to take care of my son's future," Cho shares. "I want to work hard for my son to ensure he has good education."

"I really hope to get well so that I can work and provide for my family," says Anastacia. "I am trusting God to open doors for me to be able to have a grocery kiosk and a steady income." Anastacia is a 29-year-old single mother of three from Kenya, who supports her family by doing housekeeping services. She currently has an abdominal cystic mass that puts pressure on her uterus, causing her discomfort, pain, and an irregular menstrual flow. If left untreated, the mass could become cancerous. This could lead to a series of complications, including premature death. Anastacia has been unable to work full time due to her symptoms, and it has been hard for her to feed her family, let alone pay for hospital visits. She has one sister and two brothers who work as casual laborers, but they cannot help her financially. For $620, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, will be able to provide a curative laparotomy -- a surgical incision into the abdominal cavity. After surgery and recovery, Anastacia’s discomfort and pain is expected to end. She will be able to work and open up her grocery shop.

Meet 62-year-old Mean from Cambodia! Mean enjoys spending time with her six children and ten grandchildren. She also likes to listen to the monks at the nearby pagoda in her spare time. About a year ago, Mean’s vision began to blur. Doctors at Children’s Surgical Centre discovered that Mean has cataracts in both her eyes. They write, “She is now partially blind and cannot recognize anything. She is unable to work, care for herself or her family, and cannot walk far on her own without assistance.” Without treatment, Mean’s condition will eventually lead to complete blindness. For $150, Mean will receive cataract surgery, which will significantly improve her vision. This procedure involves emulsifying and removing the cataract and then implanting a lens into the repaired lens eye area. Let’s raise funds for Mean’s surgery so she can return to cooking and cleaning to better care for her large family!

Ashley is a three-year-old girl who lives with her parents and three siblings in the central part of Haiti. "She smiles frequently and is curious about what is happening around her," writes a staff member of Haiti Cardiac Alliance, a Watsi medical partner. Ashley has a condition called patent ductus arteriosus, a hole in the heart that is normally present in a fetus but closes a few days after birth. Ashley's hole did not close on its own, and needs to be sewn shut with surgery. At present, blood flows through this hole before it can reach the lungs, depriving her body of oxygen and causing fatigue. For $1500, we can fund this little girl's surgery, allowing her to live a more active life and enjoy her childhood. Let's work together to keep Ashley smiling!

Narama is a 45-year-old woman from Nepal with rheumatic heart disease. She has suffered from swelling in her hands and feet, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and dizziness for ten years, but has been unable to afford medical care. She needs surgery to treat her condition and enable her to live a normal life. Narama has a son and five daughters who depend on her. She is unable to work because of her condition, and she worries that if something were to happen to her, there would be no one to take care of her family. Narama enjoys spending time with her children and wants to see them study and grow up. Let’s help her with the treatment she needs so she can get back to taking care of them.