Luz is a three-year-old girl from a mining town in central Bolivia. Her mother is a farmer and her father sadly passed away from a heart attack soon after she was born. Luz has a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect, in which a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and dependent on an external oxygen tank. Fortunately, our medical partner, The International Cardiac Alliance can help. Luz is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on March 21st. Our medical partners are requesting $1,500 to fund her procedure. Luz's mother says, "I am looking forward to my daughter being able to play normally and start preschool after her surgery!"

Aye is a 25-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her parents, grandfather, aunt, brother, sister and daughter. She and her sister are homemakers, while her father is a day labourer. Her brother works in a garment factory, and her mother and aunt are unemployed. Since Aye was 12 years old, she has experienced difficulty passing urine on and off. In October, this worsened and she now has blood in her urine and severe pain in her lower back. Doctors want Aye 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 $414 to cover the cost of Aye's CT scan and care, scheduled for December 20th. Aye said, "I have been experiencing these symptoms for so many years but because of financial problems, I have never receive proper treatment."

Win is a 65-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives on a farm with her husband, cultivating their land to grow vegetables. When Win and her husband have the chance, they will go out into the forest and collect leaves used to make roofs on houses and firewood for their home. Around 10 years ago, Win began to experience blurry vision in her left eye. These symptoms have made it increasingly difficult for her to see. Win was diagnosed with retinal detachment, a condition in which the retina pulls away from the supportive tissue in the eye, resulting in vision loss. If left untreated, she could lose vision completely. Win is scheduled to undergo surgery to reattach her retina on March 12th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. After her surgery, Win's vision will hopefully be restored and she can resume her daily activities comfortably. Win shared, “I must move around very slowly, sometimes I trip over things and fall because I cannot see them.”