Dennis is the first born in a family of four children. When he finished high school, he was reluctant to join college because of his condition. He currently is not able to work because he gets easily tired and cannot carry heavy loads. He joined college just recently but has been out of school for the past two months. Now that he is at home, he helps his mother who picks tea for a living. He does not have a health insurance coverage and cannot raise the required amount of money to cater for his hospital bill. In 2019 while he was sitting for his national school exams, Dennis experienced sharp pain in his esophagus. He took a glass of water, and the pain went away for a few weeks. The pain used to occur roughly two times in a month and a glass of water would help a lot. Late last year, the pain worsened. He was not in a position to swallow food. He went to a herbalist and was given some medication to use for some time. When the dose was over, the pain was still persistent, and he still could not swallow food normally. He was then referred to Kijabe Hospital by a friend where he was examined and given some medication to use. He didn't feel better and decided to go back to the herbalist for different medication but there was no change. Later he finally returned to Kijabe Hospital and scans and tests revealed that he has Achalasia. He is scheduled for a heller's myotomy which is a curative laparotomy surgery for his condition. Now he needs $1,074 to pay for the surgery. Dennis says, "I feel very sad. If I was healthy, I would be able to work well and be comfortable with myself.”

Noeun is a 67 year-old retired nurse from Prey Veng province. Neoun is a widow; sadly her husband passed away two years ago from diabetes. Noeun has one son, three daughters, and eight grandchildren who keep her busy. Currently, Noeun lives with her second eldest daughter who works at home as a tailor. At home, Noeun enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio. About two years ago, Noeun developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision. Noeun has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Noeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for three and half hours seeking treatment. On January 13th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, CSC is requesting help to fund this $253 procedure. Noeun shared, "I hope after the operation I can recognize faces clearly and get around easily by myself. I want to be able to help my daughter care for my grandchildren and do housework."

Oeun is a 68-year-old rice farmer from Kompong Speu province. He is married and has two sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren. After finishing the rice harvest, he and his wife work on a palm sugar farm. In his free time, Oeun enjoys watching Cambodian boxing and reading the news. One year ago, Oeun developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him tearing and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, thus he is unable to travel on his own. When Oeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On February 13th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and implant an intraocular lens in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Oeun needs help to fund this $253 procedure. He said, "After this operation, I hope I will be able to work again to support my family."