Met is a 66-year-old retired rice farmer from Kampong Thom, Cambodia. She is married and has one son, three daughters, and six grandchildren. She lives with her husband, who is also a retired rice farmer. Her children are rice farmers, too. During her free time, she likes to visit her children's houses and go to the pagoda. About ten years ago, Met developed a pterygium in her left eye, causing her 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, wind, or dust, and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Met learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. Met needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The procedure will take place on June 9th, and she needs help raising $286 to fund her procedure and care. Met said, "I hope after surgery, my eye will no longer be tearing, irritated, or red, so I don't have to worry about it anymore. I can go back to growing some vegetables around my house, and I can go to the pagoda and join the ceremonies and visit my relatives, too!"

Eba is a six-year-old energetic boy from Ethiopia. His mother works as a dedicated cleaner, while his father is a daily laborer. About two years ago, Eba started experiencing fever, difficulty in eating, and snoring. Though he began his school years with such a bright spirit, the constant pain and burning fevers of chronic tonsillitis are weighing him down. The illness has cast a shadow of deep anxiety over his entire home. With his parents relying on minimum daily wages, every bottle of medicine and every day missed from work to care for him pulls the family deeper into a difficult struggle, leaving them in a fragile and uncertain position. Eba was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, is requesting $700 to fund a tonsillectomy for Eba, scheduled for January 28th. Surgeons will remove his tonsils, hopefully relieving Eba of his symptoms and helping him live more comfortably. His parents say, "We had actually given up hope of finding treatment for our baby boy because we knew we could never afford it. But the moment we heard about the donor program, tears of joy filled our eyes."

Matiyas is a two-year-old boy from Ethiopia. His mother is a homemaker who looks after Matiyas and his younger sister, while his father is a taxi driver. Since birth, he has been fighting a severe, ongoing battle with chronic tonsillitis, a condition that deeply impacts his daily life and overall well-being. His struggle is at its worst during the night. Because his tonsils are constantly swollen, he faces significant airway blockage that makes it nearly impossible for him to breathe through his nose while he sleeps. Instead of resting peacefully, he spends his nights gasping for air and struggling to catch his breath, leaving both him and his parents exhausted and worried. Our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, is requesting $700 to fund a tonsillectomy for Matiyas, which is scheduled to take place on May 23rd. Surgeons will remove his tonsils, hopefully relieving Matiyas of his symptoms and helping him live more comfortably. Matiyas's parents shared, "Our deepest hope is for our little boy to finally breathe easily, sleep peacefully through the night, and wake up refreshed instead of gasping for air."