Rose is a 62-year-old widow with two fully grown children. She lost her husband four years ago. Rose owns a small business where she sells sand and also performs garden maintenance for a small fee. Rose gets support from both children, who are married with children themselves now. She lives with her second-born child in a three-bedroom house without water and electricity. Rose likes doing house chores and enjoys eating nsima, a culinary tradition of Malawi, made from maize flour with vegetables. In 2014, Rose started experiencing pain when she swallowed. She visited the hospital near her home, where she was treated. The treatment worked for awhile until December of last year when her daughter noticed that Rose's neck was swollen on the right side. In March, Rose noticed that the swelling was getting larger and also causing consistent pain. Rose decided it was time to visit Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi where a scan revealed her mass had grown substantially and was stemming from the right thyroid lobe. Her doctor diagnosed her with a goiter and determined that surgery would be needed. Due to her financial challenges, Rose could not afford the surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. Rose met with a surgeon who confirmed her diagnosis and the need for surgical intervention called a thyroidectomy, which removes part or all of the thyroid gland. Rose believes the surgery will help her to get better and prevent her symptoms from impacting her day to day life, and allow her to focus on how good her life is. She was able to contribute $10 toward her care and is grateful to all to help her raise the $1,015 needed. Rose said, “Thank you donors for supporting me, I want to live my normal life.”

Troeng is a 64-year-old corn farmer from Cambodia. He lives in Kandal province with his wife, who is also a corn farmer. Together, they have six children and ten grandchildren. One of their daughters still lives at home and helps support the family by selling groceries at a market stall. In his free time, Troeng likes to spend time with his grandchildren and watch the news. Ten years ago, Troeng developed a pterygium in his left eye, causing him to experience itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage, and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. As a result of this condition, Troeng has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going outside. When Troeng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for an hour seeking treatment. On May 29th, Troeng will undergo a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent a recurrence. The total cost of this procedure is $225, which covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. Troeng contributed $100 to his care. Troeng shared, "After surgery, I hope my eye will be better so I won't worry about it anymore. I can go to work and see more clearly."

29-year-old Macklean lives in Uganda. When she had to leave school due to a lack of the necessary fees, she decided to become a tailor. She currently lives with her parents, who are small scale farmers, and has six younger siblings. Four years ago, Macklean developed a swelling on her head that initially looked like a pimple. Even as it increased in size, Macklean never sought medical attention, as the swelling was painless. But now the growth has increased to a size where she can't carry heavy loads comfortably, or wear her hair long, because the swelling becomes painful, and causes her to have severe headaches. On July 14th, surgeons at Rushoroza Hospital will remove the mass. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $145 to fund this procedure, so that Macklean can live comfortably again. Macklean says: “I want to look and feel normal again through surgery. I will continue with tailoring after recovery.”