Deth is a 63-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He is married and has two sons, two daughters, and two grandchildren. Deth lives with his wife, who is also a farmer. In his free time, he likes to listen to the news on the radio. One year ago, Deth developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him sensitivity to light, tearing, and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so he is not able to go places on his own. When Deth learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 17th, doctors will perform a phacoemulsification cataract surgery, and an intraocular lens implant in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help raising $253 to fund his procedure and care. Deth shared, "I hope I can see well enough to recognize faces and get around on my own."

Pinit is a 24-year-old soldier from Cambodia. He lives with his parents, his grandparents, and two younger brothers in Kampong Speu province. When not working, he likes to play football and go fishing. Pinit fractured his left clavicle a little over a year ago when playing football with his friends. He had an open reduction internal fixation at a government hospital in Pnom Penh. His fracture has healed, but he still feels a chronic ache in his shoulder and neck. He is not able to perform some of the required activities for soldiers. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On December 13th, Pinit will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $304. The chronic ache will disappear along with his risk of infection and he can return to full activity in his day-to-day life. Pinit shared: "I would like to get back to my full strength, and I hope taking out the metal will help me to get strong again."

Nita is a bright 3rd grader. Her mom works in a restaurant and her dad is a rice farmer. She loves playing with her older sister, and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Nita has strabismus in both eyes. Strabismus is a misalignment of the eye caused by injury or dysfunction in the associated nerves and muscles. It is difficult for her to focus and she experiences frequent headaches Nita's family traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On March 2nd, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will perform a corrective procedure to align her eyes. Now, Nita's family needs help to raise $331 to fund this procedure. Her mom said, "I hope my daughter has good vision so she can focus in school and play with the other children."

Sylivia, who is 51-years-old, is the mother of four children. Their family lives in Uganda, where Sylivia and her husband practice small scale farming to provide for their family. For the past year, Sylivia has been experiencing severe and abnormal bleeding, and lower abdominal pain. She has had to undergo a blood transfusion twice, and doctors have recommended surgery to remove the uterine fibroids that are the cause of Sylivia's symptoms. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund the hysterectomy that Sylivia needs. On January 19th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, which should allow her to resume a healthy, pain free life. Sylivia says: “All my hopes of getting better are by undergoing surgery, I hope with your support, I will surely get better.”

Rosario is a 64-year-old woman from the Philippines. She is a post-stroke patient and currently lives with her daughter, who works as a call center agent to provide for their basic needs. Unfortunately, her income isn't enough to cover Rosario's medical expenses. In 2012, Rosario began to experience troubling symptoms, including pain in her back and the upper abdominal area. She consulted a doctor and was diagnosed with gallstones. She was prescribed medications to alleviate her symptoms, but due to financial limitations, she wasn't able to have follow-up check-ups with her doctor. Consequently, her treatment was delayed and her symptoms worsened. Fortunately, she came to Our Lady of Peace Hospital, our partner care facility. After a thorough assessment and a series of laboratory tests, it was determined that Rosario needs to have surgery to treat her condition. Rosario has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Rosario is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on December 2nd. A portion of the cost of the procedure is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is raising the remaining $826 to cover the cost of Rosario's surgery and care. Rosario shared: "Without your support, I might have just endured my illness and might not be able to get treatment. We're incapable of paying for my hospital bills. So, thank you so much Watsi and World Surgical Foundation Philippines for the opportunity to finally be treated."

Juanita is a 75-year-old woman from Philippines. She manages a small business for a living, and she lives with her daughter who works as a house helper. In August 2022, Juanita began experiencing troubling symptoms, including shortness of breath, fatigue, excessive sweating, and sudden weight loss. She underwent a series of tests and was diagnosed with follicular thyroid carcinoma. This is the second most common cancer of the thyroid, characterized by an encapsulated tumor on the thyroid gland. She requires surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Juanita receive treatment. On January 7th, she will undergo a thyroidectomy at WSFP's care center, where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. Juanita needs help raising the remaining $935 to cover the full cost of her procedure and care. Juanita shared, "this surgery is a big relief to me and my family. Though our relatives are extending financial assistance, still it wasn't enough to pay for my treatment. We don't know where else to ask for help, so thank you WATSI and World Surgical Foundation Philippines!"

Vacity is a 14-year-old girl from Kenya. She is the second of five children raised by a single mother. Vacity had been sick in school and was exhibiting symptoms such as fever, rapid heartbeat, increased appetite with weight loss, and fatigue. She was found to have too much thyroid hormone in her body due to nodules that developed on her thyroid. While medications have helped her condition, she needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Her mother was recently in a motorbike accident, which is making it difficult for her to work and raise the money needed to fund Vacity's surgery. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) is helping Vacity to receive the surgery she needs. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on February 22nd at AMHF's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. Vacity and her family need help raising $936 to fully fund the procedure. Vacity shared, ”My family is needy. I would like to work hard in school so that I can be able to change our living style. Kindly help me so that I can be able to live a healthy life and be able to prosper in future.”

Saw Myo is a 14-year-old from Burma. He lives with his grandparents, parents, two sisters, and brother. His grandparents are retired. His father farms paddy and rubber trees on their land, while his mother is a homemaker. Saw Myo and his siblings are all in school, but Saw Myo recently had to stop attending due to a medical condition. Saw Myo has had a lump on his lower spinal cord since he was nine years old due to an injury from a slingshot. He received medicinal ointment from a traditional healer that helped with the stiffness and prevented further growth. However, Saw Myo fell off his bicycle a few years later, and the lump grew in size. His family took him to several clinics, and an X-ray indicated a potential spinal cord problem. The doctors recommended a computerized tomography (CT) scan, but due to COVID-19 policies, Saw Myo could not receive the scan. His parents continued to try and help Saw Myo receive treatment but learned that his condition could not be treated locally. Saw Myo's mother then contacted a neighbor who worked as a medic at a clinic in Burma and began raising money for his care. The doctors want Saw Myo to undergo an MRI, which is an imaging procedure that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images of bodily organs. This scan will help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), is helping Saw Myo receive this treatment. On November 15th, he will undergo an MRI. BCMF requests $814 to cover the cost of Saw Myo's MRI procedure and care. Saw Myo's mother said: “We have been so worried since we saw the mass increasing in size. It was tiring to seek treatment in Burma, and we now have borrowed a lot of money without Saw Myo having received treatment."

Neang is a loving grandmother. She is 80 years old and lives in Battambang province with her husband. They have four sons, four daughters, and twenty-one grandchildren. She and her husband live with their youngest daughter who is a rice farmer. At home, she enjoys listening to the monks praying on the radio and joining ceremonies at the pagoda with her husband. Five years ago, Neang developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision, irritation, and tearing. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Neang learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for five hours seeking treatment. On January 4th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Neang said: "I hope after surgery I can see more clearly, so I can see everyone's faces and go back to our pagoda."

Eng is a 61-year-old farmer living in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. She and her husband have an adopted son who is 32 years old and now married. Their family grows rice just outside of the city limits. At home, she likes to grow vegetables for her family and to sell at the local market. Six months ago, Eng had an ear infection. This infection caused the ear drum in her right ear to perforate. Now Eng experiences ear discharge, tinnitus, pain, fever, and headaches. Sometimes she can’t sleep well at night. She has been treating her symptoms with medicine from a pharmacy but it is still not better. Eng visited our medical partner's care center, Children's Surgical Centre, hoping to receive treatment. On December 20th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $487 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She said, "After surgery, I hope my ear stops having these infections and improves my hearing."

Oeun is a 68-year-old rice farmer from Kompong Speu province. He is married and has two sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren. After finishing the rice harvest, he and his wife work on a palm sugar farm. In his free time, Oeun enjoys watching Cambodian boxing and reading the news. One year ago, Oeun developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him tearing and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus he is unable to travel on his own. When Oeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On February 13th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Oeun needs help to fund this $253 procedure. He said, "After this operation, I hope I will be able to work again to support my family."

Vanthan is a 69-year-old widow from Cambodia. She has one daughter and four grandchildren. Her husband disappeared during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, so she lives with her daughter and grandchildren. Her daughter works in a local garment factory. Previously, Vanthan sold rice at the local market but had to stop work due to her poor eyesight. Three years ago, Vanthan developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her tearing, photophobia, and blurry vision. As a result, she has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she cannot go out on her own. When Vanthan learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On February 7th, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. CSC is requesting $253 to fund this procedure. Vanthan said: "After surgery, I hope my eye will see clearly. I want to take care of my grandchildren and be able to join ceremonies at the village pagoda."