Lea is a 46-year-old small-scale businesswoman from Malawi. She has two children aged 15 and 10. Lea sells tomatoes, while her husband is a primary school teacher. Seven years ago, Lea began to experience troubling symptoms, including breathlessness during sleep, walking, and climbing stairs, and was unable to carry items on her head. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland. The thyroid is the gland located in front of your neck and produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for functions such as metabolism, growth, and other bodily functions. This January, things worsened when Lea started experiencing frequent choking after eating. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Lea receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on June 8th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $1,015, and she and her family need help raising money. Lea said, "Kindly help me get out of this mess; I am in trouble, and I am not ready to choke to death one day and leave my children alone."

Rama is a 27-year-old day laborer from Cambodia. He is married and lives in Ratanakiri Province with his wife, who is also a day laborer. They have two children; a son in Grade 1 and a three-year-old child. In his free time, Rama enjoys caring for his children and growing vegetables around his home. Two years ago, Rama was involved in a motorcycle accident in Ratanakiri, which caused a fracture of his thighbone. Following the accident, he underwent surgery at a local hospital, where doctors fixed the fracture using a metal plate and screws. A year later, he developed a fistula and had one screw removed at Children's Surgical Centre. However, the remaining hardware has brought on persistent discharging sinus, along with pain and difficulty in walking. The symptoms have also made it difficult for him to continue working as a day laborer, impacting his ability to provide for his family. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On July 1st, Rama will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will help the wound heal properly, relieve pain, and improve his ability to walk. This will allow him to return to work and care for his family more comfortably. Rama and his family are able to contribute towards the cost of his treatment, but need help raising $303 more to fund the procedure. He said, “I am grateful to have this opportunity for treatment. I hope I can recover well, return to work, and spend time with my children without pain.”

Separa is a three-year-old girl from Ethiopia. She lives with her mother and her six-year-old brother. Her father left when she was one year old, and her mother has raised the two children alone ever since. Separa's health problems started when she was just six months old, when she began having trouble with her tonsils again and again. When she was one, she had surgery to help her. For about three months she was better, but then her symptoms came back, and this time they were worse. She snores loudly every night and breathes through her mouth, even during the day. At night, her breathing becomes blocked while she sleeps, and she suddenly wakes up gasping for air. Separa has enlarged tonsils, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, is requesting $700 to fund a tonsillectomy for Separa, which is scheduled to take place on October 10th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils, hopefully relieving Separa of her symptoms and helping her live more comfortably. Separa shared, "I just want my daughter to breathe and sleep well. She has suffered since she was a baby. I pray this surgery ends it."