Toma is a 54-year-old elderly man, who lives with his wife, son and grandchildren in rural Takeo Province in Cambodia. His wife stays at home caring for the grandchildren, while his son works as a rice farmer. The family has a simple rural lifestyle with low income and relies mainly on farming and family support. In his free time, Takeo takes care of his hens, grows vegetables around the house, and lives a quiet village life. In 2024, Takeo was shot in the right hand during an attempted robbery. This resulted in a fracture of his right arm. He went to a government hospital where doctors fixed surgical hardware to help with the healing his fracture. Since the injury and surgery, he has continued to experience pain and discomfort in his right hand. The condition makes it difficult for him to use his hand properly, affecting his ability to perform daily activities and reducing his independence. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On April 21st, Toma will undergo a surgical hardware removal procedure to help reduce his pain and improve hand function, so he can return to his daily activities. Toma and his family are able to contribute towards the cost of his treatment, but need help raising $353 more to fund the procedure. Toma says, “I hope my hand will heal well so I can use it without pain, and return to my normal daily life.”

Bunrong is a 13-year-old boy from Cambodia. He is in Grade 6 and is the only child in his family. His father works as a rice farmer, and his mother runs a small grocery business to support the household. He enjoys studying English, playing football with his friends, and dreams of becoming a police officer in the future. About one year ago, Bunrong developed a mass over his right wrist after sustaining an injury while playing volleyball. At that time, he received treatment with an X-ray examination and wrist immobilization in a cast for 21 days. Although the initial treatment was completed, he continued to experience pain in his wrist. Over time, the mass gradually increased in size, causing ongoing discomfort and making it difficult for him to write his lessons and complete schoolwork comfortably. After being referred to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled three hours with his family to seek specialized care. Doctors diagnosed him with a right wrist tumor and scheduled an en bloc resection procedure to remove the tumor on May 20th. This surgery is expected to relieve pain, restore wrist function, and allow him to return to school and daily activities without discomfort. Now, Bunrong needs help to raise $841 to fund this procedure. Bunrong's grandmother said, “I have been worried watching him live with pain and discomfort in his wrist. I pray this surgery will remove the problem, relieve his pain, and help him use his hand normally again so he can study, play volleyball, and enjoy life without difficulty.”

Gregory is a 44-year-old husband and devoted father of five children from Malawi. As the family's sole breadwinner, he carries the immense responsibility of supporting his wife and children. His eldest child is currently a second-year university student, while his other children are in Form 4, Form 3, and Form 1, all relying on him for school fees, food, and daily necessities. The youngest is still an infant and depends entirely on his care and support. Gregory earns a living as a small-scale farmer, growing maize, Irish potatoes, vegetables, and rearing a few chickens. For many years, farming has been the foundation of his family's survival. Through hard work and determination, he has managed to provide food for his household and keep his children in school despite the many challenges of rural life. His health problems began when he noticed a small swelling in the upper part of his abdomen after carrying heavy metal objects. Initially, the swelling caused little concern, and he responded by avoiding heavy lifting. However, over time, the swelling became progressively larger and more painful, especially when performing strenuous farm work. Seeking medical attention, Gregory visited several healthcare facilities where he was diagnosed with an epigastric hernia, which is a bulge occurring in the upper abdomen, caused by tissue pushing through weak abdominal muscles. Although surgery was recommended, repeated delays and busy surgical schedules at the public hospital meant that he never received the operation he needed. As the years passed, the hernia continued to worsen, causing increasing pain and limiting his ability to work. While still waiting for treatment, Gregory developed another problem two years ago. A soft swelling appeared on his back and rapidly increased in size. Doctors later identified it as a lipoma, a slow-growing fatty tumor located between the skin and muscle layer. Unfortunately, the mass has continued to grow and has now become so large that it interferes with the movement of his arm, making farming activities increasingly difficult and painful. Today, Gregory lives with constant discomfort from both conditions. The painful abdominal hernia affects him whenever he bends, lifts, coughs, strains, or works in the fields. At the same time, the large lipoma limits his mobility and makes routine farming tasks exhausting. Determined to find help, Gregory came to PIH after hearing that patients could receive timely surgical treatment. He hoped that surgery would finally free him from years of pain and allow him to resume caring for his family without limitation. Gregory was evaluated by the surgical team at PIH who confirmed that he required two surgical procedures, which could be done in the same operation: an Epigastric Hernia Repair and a Major Mass Excision (Removal of the Large Lipoma). If left untreated, the hernia could place him at risk of complications such as incarceration or strangulation. The large lipoma would also impact his daily activities. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Gregory receive treatment. On August 19th, he will undergo the two procedures to relieve years of pain, restore his ability to earn a living, and give him the chance to continue supporting his family. Gregory is contributing to his care, but needs help to raise an additional $575 for his treatment. He says: "Your support will be highly appreciated, to restore my health and help me focus on my farm work."