Cristina lives with her mother, a food vendor; her father, a construction worker; and eight older brothers and sisters in a neighborhood of La Paz, Bolivia. As a small baby, she struggled to breathe normally, and so her mother took her to the children's hospital where she was diagnosed with ventricular septal defect, a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart. Cristina also has Down syndrome. During surgery, doctors will sew a patch over the hole so that blood can no longer leak through it. Christina needs your help to raise $1,500 to pay for her heart surgery. Her mother says, "Our family is so grateful to know that there is a way to fix our daughter's heart so that she can breathe normally."

Bae is a 63-year-old man from Thailand. He lives with his wife and son in a refugee camp. His wife is retired while his son is unemployed. Bae works as a vendor selling boiled corn in the refugee camp. He also grows vegetables in their garden for their own consumption. Bae enjoys reading the Bible in his free time. One year ago, Bae was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, causing him severe pain and discomfort. Fortunately, on May 3rd, he will undergo hernia repair surgery at Mae Sariang Hospital, our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,486 to fund Bae's surgery. The procedure will, hopefully, allow him to live more comfortably. Bae said, “I hope that the operation will go well, that I can be discharged in a few days and go back to the refugee camp, returning to life as usual.”

Sok is an 80 year-old retired rice farmer from Kompong Thom province. Since her husband died five years ago, she has been living alone. Her six children and twelve grandchildren live in neighboring villages. The family checks in on her often, but it has become increasingly difficult for Sok to go out on her own due to deteriorating vision. She misses going to the pagoda to pray and taking walks. Her favorite things are her grandchildren and listening to Buddhist radio. About one year ago, Sok developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, so it is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. 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 Sok learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On March 7th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Sok shared, "I hope after surgery I can see better, easily go out on my own, and recognize my family."