Bora is a 41-year-old electrician from Kampong Cham, Cambodia. He is married and has one son and one daughter. He lives with his wife, who is a grocery seller, while his children are students. In his free time, Bora enjoys exercising with his children. About two months ago, Bora developed a chalazion in his left eye, causing him burning, itchiness, irritation, and eye redness. A chalazion is an inflamed cyst in a patient's tear gland. It is difficult for him to see clearly and work. Bora traveled for three hours to seek treatment from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. On June 4th, surgeons will remove the cyst through a chalazion excision procedure. After recovery, Bora's symptoms should improve. Bora can contribute $25, but needs help raising an additional $238 to fund his procedure. Bora said, "I hope after surgery my eye lid no more cyst, and I won’t worry about it anymore. I want to go back to work well."

Mohamed is a five-year-old boy from Mali. He lives with his parents and two older siblings. Mohamed's problems started when he began to experience swelling and discomfort in the roof of his mouth. Over time, the swelling worsened, prompting his family to visit our medical partner's care center, Hôpital du Mali. Doctors discovered a mass on the roof of Mohamed's mouth, which was investigated and found to be a nasopalatine duct cyst. These cysts are non-cancerous, but carry several risks if not removed. If the cyst is allowed to continue to grow, it could displace Mohamed's teeth and put pressure on his nasal passage, causing difficulty eating and breathing normally. Nasopalatine duct cysts can also become infected, causing further pain. Fortunately, Mohamed is scheduled to undergo cyst removal surgery on September 8th. Our medical partner, Muso, is requesting $1,120 to cover the total cost of Mohamed's procedure and care. Mohamed's parents shared, "Once the cyst is removed, we hope that Mohamed will be able to resume his daily activities free of the uncomfortable symptoms. We hope the swelling will be gone."

Gutema is a 23-year-old man from Ethiopia, married with one daughter. He works as a day laborer, a physically demanding job that requires him to use his full strength and mobility every day, typically at construction sites. Recently, Gutema was diagnosed with a severe infection in his thighbone that causes painful swelling. This condition has left him unable to perform the physical tasks his work demands. Because his income depends entirely on his ability to work each day, his family is now in a challenging situation. Without his mobility, his livelihood and his family’s stability is now at serious risk. The bone infection also causes him intense pain. Following Gutema's review at our medical partner's care center Saglan Wajee General Hospital, doctors have recommended that he undergoes a sequestrectomy, a surgical procedure involving the removal of fragments of infected dead bone or tissue. If not treated, it can lead to recurrent infections that may result in life-threatening complications. Fortunately, on June 4th, Gutema will undergo repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, is requesting $900 to fund Gutema's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will alleviate his symptoms and prevent serious long-term complications. "My family cannot afford to lose my ability to work, as I am responsible for everything in our home. The pain and the stress of not being able to provide for them is overwhelming. This surgery is the key to saving my livelihood," said Gutema.