Ly Hor is a 13-year-old curious student. He comes from Tboung Khmum province in the central lowlands of the Mekong river. He has two sisters - his older sister is 19 and is a factory worker, and his younger sister is six and studies in grade one. His parents are farmers and grow rainy-day rice and vegetables. Ly Hor attends grade 7 in public school. His favorite subjects are math and physical education. In the future, he would like to be a doctor. At home, he enjoys playing football, reading books, doing homework with friends, and helping his family with the vegetable gardens. He loves it when his mom makes fried rice or fried noodles, which he enjoys eating with fresh milk. In October, Ly Hor injured his right elbow when playing football by stretching out his hand to break a fall. His mother took him to a Khmer traditional healer because she could not afford the care at a government hospital. He has chronic pain, and his elbow has become swollen and deformed. He is unable to use his hand due to swelling and pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On December 7th, Ly Hor will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $483. This procedure will repair the fracture, and Ly Hor will be able to use his arm again. Ly Hor's mother said: "He is very sad now because he cannot do anything with his friends. I hope the doctors can fix his arm so he won't be in pain, and he can be active again with his friends in school."

Florah is a 45-year-old mother of three from the Rukingiri district in southwestern Uganda. Her eldest son is awaiting to join college, while the youngest is in primary 6. Both she and her husband are small-scale farmers who grow food crops for home consumption but often sell the surplus to generate an income. In her free time, she enjoys listening to the radio. For two years, Florah has been experiencing vaginal bleeding, backache, and lower abdominal pain with unpleasant discharge which is worsening. She has been diagnosed with multiple uterine myomas and premalignant cervical lesions and is unable to raise funds for her treatment. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Florah's surgery. On February 28th, she will undergo a hysterectomy at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Florah will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Florah says “I am really in deep pain, I don’t have the money needed for my surgery and kindly, I request for your support to make my surgery possible.”

Emmy is a 36-year-old taxi driver. He is a father of 4 school-aged children. After completing high school, he had difficulty raising funds for college despite the desire to join university. He enrolled in a driving school and was later hired as a taxi driver. His wife is a farmer and their family of 6 lives in a 2 bedroom semi-permanent house. For 6 years, Emmy has had left inguinal hernia. The hernia causes him pain especially when he strains. Fortunately, on January 25th, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $230 to fund Emmy's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Emmy says “I have been with this pain for quite a long time, I could have undergone surgery so long ago but I have always been let down by finances, I surely need and am grateful for your support for the success of my surgery.”

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."

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."

Saren is a 67-year-old retired farmer from Kampong Speu. She is married with two sons, five daughters, and 12 grandchildren. She lives with her retired husband and one of her daughters. At home, she enjoys going to the local pagoda or listening to the monks pray on the local radio station. Almost a year ago, Saren developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her cloudy, blurry vision. 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 Saren learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On December 6th, doctors will perform phacoemulsification 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. She shared: "I hope after surgery I will be able to help my daughter do housework, take care of my grandchildren, and help my family with our rice planting."

Chanthy is a 41-year-old factory worker. She lives in Svay Rieng province with her husband, who is also a factory worker. Together they have one son who repairs cars and two daughters who are both students. Since Chanthy was 20 years old, she has suffered from ear pain, ear discharge and headaches around her left ear. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Chanthy experiences hearing loss, tinnitus and ear discharge. She visited a government hospital two years ago for care, but she continues to have problems. Fortunately Chanthy traveled to our medical partner - Children’s Surgical Centre - to receive treatment. On March 22nd, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her left ear. Children’s Surgical Centre is requesting $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medication, supplies, and inpatient care. Chanthy is hopeful that after this surgery her hearing will improve and her headaches will disappear. Without care, she is concerned this illness might affect her health permanently.

Srey Ka is a bright 14-year-old student from Cambodia. She lives with her parents and two younger sisters. Her father is a rice farmer, and her mother sells fish at the local market. Srey Ka's favorite subjects are math and biology, and she wants to be an engineer when she grows up. At home, she likes reading and eating her favorite meal of grilled meats with a spicy chili paste. A few years ago, Srey Ka was in a motor vehicle collision that fractured her left ankle. Her injury resulted in the top layers of skin and tissue being torn away from the underlying muscle. She visited a local hospital soon after and had a skin graft, which did not work. Her scar from the skin graft is now contracted, tightening the skin around her ankle and causing pain. She is not able to walk comfortably and has trouble keeping up with her friends. When Srey Ka learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for one and a half hours to seek treatment. On March 14th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help her walk easily again. Now, she needs help to fund this $495 procedure. Her mother said, "After surgery, we hope the skin will be released and Srey Ka can walk well again."

Yan is a retired rice farmer from Cambodia. He has two sons and two daughters. His wife passed away eight years ago from stomach cancer, and Yan lives with his youngest son. Although Yan has retired, he still enjoys spending time in the rice fields and listening to monks pray on the radio. About two years ago, Yan developed a cataract in his left eye, causing him itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Consequently, he has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so he is unable to go out on his own. When Yan learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled to their care center seeking treatment. On February 9th, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his left eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. CSC is requesting $253 to fund this procedure. Yan shared: "After surgery, I hope my eye can see better, and I can go to the pagoda by myself."

Wideline is a 27 year old woman from Haiti. She lives in Port-au-Prince with her sister and her sister's family. She has not been working because of her illness, but would like to return to school to study business once she is able. Wideline has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect. Wideline was born with two holes in her heart, one between the upper chambers and another between the lower chambers. Blood leaks through these holes without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. It is extremely rare for someone to live to Wideline's age with this untreated condition. Because the care that she needs is not available in Haiti, Wideline will fly to the United States to receive treatment. On March 1st, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use patches to close the holes so that blood can no longer leak through them. Another organization, Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital, is contributing $15,000 to help pay for surgery. Wideline's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Wideline overseas. Wideline shared: "I am so excited to finally be able to live a more normal life!"

39-year-old Eunice is a mother of three school-age children. She and her husband work as subsistence farmers in Uganda. For the past year, Eunice has lived with an incisional hernia, which occurs after the unsuccessful healing of a surgical wound. The hernia causes her severe pain when she bends or has to lift items, limiting her ability to work around the farm. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $230 to fund Eunice's hernia repair surgery, which is scheduled to take place on February 14th at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale. After surgery, Eunice should be able to live more comfortably and confidently. Eunice says: “My life is so wearied as I live a poor quality of life due to my condition. I believe that once am helped and have my condition treated, I will work hard to again live a better lifestyle.”

Jackline, who is 28 years old, is a small-scale farmer from Uganda. After her first husband passed away in 2019, Jackline married a second time in 2021 to a carpenter. They currently live with her husband's father, but are hoping to build a home for themselves and their family, especially as Jackline is pregnant with her fourth child. Jackline's doctors recommend that she deliver her child via a Caesarean section, because all three of her children were born in this manner, leaving her with scarring. The doctors feel that a C-section is the best way to ensure the safety of both Jackline and her baby. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Jackline undergo a C-section on March 21st at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale. This procedure will cost $252, and Jackline needs your support to fund this procedure. Jackline says: “Hospital bills are my concern. I'm confident that my birth will go well if I will get support.”