Loyce is a 48-year-old wife and mother of four from Malawi. Two of her children are married with families of their own, while the other two assist with farming work at home. For many years, Loyce has contributed to her family's livelihood through her small charcoal-selling business, while her husband works as a builder. Together, they have worked tirelessly to provide for their family. For the last 18 months, Loyce has been living with uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are common, non-cancerous growths that develop within or on the wall of the uterus and can cause symptoms such as heavy bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal swelling, fatigue, and anemia. When symptoms become severe, surgical intervention is often necessary to relieve pain, prevent complications, and improve quality of life. Loyce's journey toward care began when she first sought medical attention at a nearby health facility, where the doctors suspected the presence of uterine fibroids and referred her to another hospital for further assessment and confirmation. Despite receiving medical care at the time, her symptoms continued to worsen. She experienced ongoing lower abdominal pain, backache, dizziness, weakness, and increasing discomfort that interfered with her daily activities and quality of life. At the initial referral hospital, the doctors scheduled her for surgery in October 2026. However, in June 2026, her condition took a serious turn when she developed worrisome bleeding and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. After her condition stabilized, Loyce was discharged and advised to return immediately if her symptoms worsened. Unfortunately, her symptoms persisted, and in late July 2026, Loyce returned to the hospital. Due to the high volume of emergency cases requiring urgent attention, Loyce was referred to our medical partner's hospital, Partners in Hope (PIH) Hospital, for immediate surgical evaluation and management. At PIH, Loyce learned about the surgery program and, for the first time in many months, felt hopeful upon learning her surgery could be performed quickly without the prolonged delays she had previously experienced. Understanding the importance of her treatment and despite her financial hardships, Loyce voluntarily offered to contribute a co-pay of MWK 100,000 ($57.11 UDS) toward the cost of her care. On August 5th, Loyce will undergo a hysterectomy at PIH. Once recovered, Loyce will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. PIH is requesting $1,363 to fund her surgery. For Loyce, this surgery represents more than medical treatment. It is an opportunity to regain her strength, restore her health, and return to the activities that support her family. She dreams of returning to her charcoal business, helping with household responsibilities, and living free from the pain and uncertainty that have overshadowed the past year and a half. Loyce shared, "I would rather lose my womb than suffer and die. Kindly help me to move on with my life while I serve my family in good health; I already have enough children and grandchildren, so I don't have to suffer for nothing."

Vitou is a five-month-old baby boy from Cambodia. He is the only child in the family and lives in Svay Rieng Province with his parents. His father works as a factory worker, and his mother sells coffee. He enjoys playing with toy cars and dolls and likes drinking milk. Vitou was born with syndactyly of the right foot. This means that his toes are fused. It is difficult for him to wear shoes properly, which affects the movement of his big toe. As he grows, the condition may affect his ability to stand, walk, and use his foot normally. Fortunately, on July 20th, surgeons will perform a syndactyly repair procedure to separate and release the fused toes. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $462 to fund this procedure. After surgery, he will feel more comfortable and will be able to use his right foot more normally. The surgery will improve the shape and function of his foot, helping him wear shoes, stand, and walk more easily as he grows. Vitou's mother said, “We hope this surgery will help our son have a normal-looking foot so he can walk, play, and grow up confidently without feeling different from other children.”

Vichet is 18 years old and a rice farmer from Cambodia. He lives in Kompong Speu Province with his parents, who are also rice farmers. He is the youngest of four siblings. His first and second siblings are also rice farmers, while his third brother is a university student. In his free time, he enjoys playing games on his phone and helping his parents with farm work. When he was six years old, Vichet had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the eardrum. For this reason, Vichet experiences ear pain, discharge, hearing loss, and ringing in the ear. This condition caused him to stop attending school and affects his daily communication and quality of life due to ear pain and hearing loss. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is helping Vichet receive treatment. On April 2nd, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his right ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. His family can contribute $100, but needs help raising $377 more to fund his procedure and care. Vichet said, “I hope that after treatment, my ear pain, discharge, hearing loss, and tinnitus will get better, and that I can hear normally again.”