Bros is a proud father of one son and one daughter. He and his wife grow vegetables and sell them at the local vegetable market. At home, Bros likes to play chess with his friends. For the past several years, Bros has had ear fullness and hearing loss in both ears, although the left ear is worse. He has not sought any treatment because they cannot afford expensive medicines from local pharmacies. He has difficulty communicating with his family and customers, and he feels embarrassed about his hearing loss. Bros was told about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, from relatives, where he went for a diagnosis and treatment of his hearing loss. Surgeons have diagnosed him with chronic otitis media, which is a recurrent infection of the middle ear and/or mastoid air cells in the presence of tympanic membrane perforation. There are no medicines that will cure this disease. On October 19th, Bros will undergo a left ear myringotomy to remove all of the infection to restore his hearing. He needs assistance to pay the $184 cost, which will cover medicines, surgery, and post-operative care. Bros said: "I hope after surgery I will not have ear fullness and pain and I will have my better hearing back again."

Liza is a happy eight-year-old girl, living in Kandal province, Cambodia. She has two older siblings - an older sister who works in a factory, and an older brother who is in grade seven. Her father recycles cans and plastic bottles, while her mother stays home to care for her. Liza was born with Down syndrome and she does not attend school, but spends her day enjoying cartoons on TV and helping her mother around the house. For the past five years, Liza has been experiencing frequent throat infections, and difficulty swallowing. She has a harder time breathing at night and does not sleep well, so she is often tired during the day. Her mother says she often cries because her throat hurts so much. Liza was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and to intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Liza, which is scheduled to take place on January 23rd at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. During this procedure, surgeons will remove her tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Liza of her symptoms, and helping her to live a healthier and more comfortable life. Liza's mother shared: "We hope after surgery Liza will stop having sore throats, and it will be easy for her to swallow."

Vichea is a 37-year-old soft drink seller from Cambodia. He is married and has two daughters and one son. When he is not working, Vichea enjoys playing with his small son and helping his wife at home. When he was six, Vichea had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or an abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. Because of this, Vichea experiences hearing loss, discharge, and pain. It is difficult for him to communicate with others, and the pain and discharge disrupts his sleep. The medications to alleviate his symptoms are expensive and have not treated the problem. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Vichea receive treatment. He traveled to CSC's care center where, on November 16th, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his right ear. During the procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Now, he needs help raising $926 to fund his procedure and care. Vichea shared, "I hope my hearing improves and my ear heals."