Lourdez is a mother of three from the Philippines. Currently, her family depends on the income of their second child, who works as a call center agent. Lourdez shared that this income is not enough for the family's expenses and hopes that, after her treatment, she will be able to work and help earn money to support her family. Seven months ago, Lourdez began to experience troubling symptoms, including unbearable stomach pain that lasted for hours. She immediately consulted with a doctor. However, she knows her family cannot afford the cost of surgery, so she had to look for other treatment options. Fortunately, a friend brought her to one of our care centers, where the doctors advised Lourdez 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), Lourdez is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on December 13th. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation is supporting a portion of the cost of the procedure. WSFP is requesting $1,128 to cover the remaining cost of her surgery and care. Lourdez said, "This treatment will be a great help, not just for me but for my family. We have no other means of funding my surgery. As a basic earner, my daughter's income is often not enough for our family's needs and expenses. The free surgery would be a blessing and an opportunity for me to help my daughter earn for the family."

Khin is a 43-year-old rice farmer in Cambodia. She is married and has four children. Her husband and eldest son are also rice farmers and her other three children are still in school. On March 2nd, Khin fell off a motorcycle during a rainstorm and fractured her left tibia and femur. She underwent surgery at a local hospital in Kampong Thom, and an external fixation frame was applied to support the healing of the fractures. However, an open wound remains on her lower left leg. It is swollen and painful making it difficult for Khin to walk. She is unable to work outside in the rice fields or to help her family with daily chores. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On April 5th, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform a skin graft procedure to heal Khin's chronic open wound. Khin is able to contribute $100 but needs your help to fund an additional $487 for the procedure. Khin said: "After surgery, I hope I have no more infection so I can walk my son to school and work with my family to grow rice."

Chisuka is a widow who lost her husband in February 2023. Chisuka has never had a child of her own but has been keeping three orphans aged 15, 10, and 6 years old for her late sister who passed on 5 years ago. Her husband had lost his first wife 30 years ago who left a 6-year-old son who has been brought up by Chisuka until now. He is a soldier who is married with one child. Chisuka and her late husband loved these orphans and brought them up like their own before death separated them. Chisuka shared that a month after losing her husband, she was chased out of her main house and most of her belongings were taken by her in-laws. Chisuka is now in the boys’ quarter together with her children while the main house is rented but the money is not shared with her. Her stepson withdrew his support after the death of his father. Chisuka started selling groundnut flour for a living. She likes praying and encouraging her children to work hard at school since life has changed for the worse. Chisuka was well until three years ago when she started experiencing cramping abdominal pains and felt a hard mass on the left side of her abdomen. Chisuka has been to different hospitals without much improvement. Of late Chisuka has had overwhelming abdominal pains, bleeding tendencies, loss of appetite leading to loss of weight, a lot of discomforts leading to more stress, weakness, and general body pain. On 24th January, Chisuka was booked and seen by the gynecologist at our medical partner's care center PIH who confirmed the diagnosis of multiple uterine fibroids through an ultrasound scan. She was notified about the need for a surgical intervention called total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) which is the removal of the uterus, including the cervix. Chisuka was then referred to the Watsi program due to her financial status. She is contributing what she can and needs help raising $1,363 to fund her surgery. Fibroids are abnormal growths that develop in a woman's uterus. Fibroids might become quite large leading to severe abdominal pain and heavy bleeding. If left untreated, fibroids continue to grow, both in size and number worsening the symptoms; the heavy bleeding may become worse causing anemia which may be fatal. After the surgery, it is expected that Chisuka will stop having unbearable abdominal pains and heavy bleeding and will continue taking care of her late sister’s children and living a more comfortable life. Chisuka, with tears in her eyes, said, “Please help me, I have faced more than I could, and now I need a breather and a comfortable life to let me render support to my children.”