Chhoeun is a 63-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He has five children, seven grandchildren, and enjoys watching boxing on television in his spare time. Five months ago, Chhoeun developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him cloudy and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Chhoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On December 12th, 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 to fund this $211 procedure. Chhoeun shared, "I hope that I will be able to see again so I can return to planting rice at the farm."

Lucy is a small business operator from Kenya. She is a single lady and has two children who are in school. Lucy does small business of selling cereals to support her family. Four years ago, Lucy began to experience troubling symptoms, including sore throat and a bit of wheezing. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Lucy receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 02 at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $625, and she and her family need help raising money. “This condition is making it difficult for me to serve my customers to get money for my family. I plead for help so that I can be treated and be able to earn for my children,” said Lucy.

Taung is a one-month-old baby girl from Burma. She lives with her parents and seven-year-old brother in a village in Hpan-An Township in Karen State. Her parents farm land owned by their relatives for free and grow rice for primarily their own consumption. Taung’s father also works as an agricultural day laborer. Taung was born at home with the assistance of a traditional birth attendant (TBA). As soon as she was born, the TBA noticed that she has a soft large sac protruding from the top of her head. Currently, the sac protruding from Taung’s head is continuously increasing in size. Sometimes, she cries so much her mother thinks that she is in pain. However, she responds to noise around her, and sleeps and breastfeeds well. Doctors want Taung to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $469 to cover the cost of Taung's CT scan and care, scheduled for March 15th. Taung’s mother said, “Over time, I have become increasingly worried about her head, whether it would become normal and if it could be treated. We do not have money to treat her, so we came to Mae Tao Clinic. I cry every time I touch her head and it is very hard for me to hold her. I feel like I am very unlucky that both of my children do not have good health. I want her to become healthy like other children.”