Chit Htun is a 21-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his mother and two younger sisters and a younger brother. His father is deceased and his mother is a homemaker. She takes care of the household and her children. All of his younger siblings are students, while Chit Htun and his eldest sister are doing an online general education diploma. Chit Htun has two aunts who help the family financially as they can. He also has a former teacher who is able to contribute some money consistently to the family. This normally has been enough to cover the family’s basic necessities but since the February 2021 coup, prices have increased significantly and there is not always enough money to pay for food. Sometimes the family has free meals at the local monastery. Chit Htun was born with spina bifida as well as hydrocephalus at the Maternal and Child Hospital in Myawaddy in Burma and when he was just over a month old, he had a stent inserted in his brain to control hydrocephalus. He has multiple conditions arising from the spina bifida, including bilateral atrophy to his lower legs with club feet, a neurogenic bladder requiring a suprapubic catheter, a neurogenic bowel requiring a colostomy, along with scoliosis. Despite the number of surgeries he has undergone, and the pain he endures, he is a pleasant and engaging young man, thoughtful and independent. In Oct 2021, Chit Htun fell down from some stairs at his home. Though there was no loss of consciousness at the time, he hit his head with the fall. Since that time, he has been experiencing headaches and dizziness with occasional loss of consciousness. His mother brought him to the hospital in Yangon and a scan showed that the original shunt was in place. A second shunt was inserted, and it appeared to help with the loss of consciousness, but headaches and dizziness continued to be a problem. After the second shunt was cleared of partial blockage, Chit Htun still continued to have headaches and dizziness and then in October, he had a seizure, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. His family cannot afford to go for further investigation and treatment so that they came to Mae Tao Clinic across the border in Mae Sot, Thailand. Doctors want Chit Htun to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Chit Htun's CT scan and care, scheduled for November 28th. Chit Htun said, “My condition is interrupting my education and my future. When I always have to stop my studies for treatment, it makes it difficult to continue.”

Chamroeurn is a 20-year-old soccer player from Cambodia. He lives with his mother and father in Preah Sihanouk province. His father is a fisherman, and his mother is a homemaker. Chamroeurn plays soccer and is hoping to get a soccer scholarship to attend university. Last year, while training, he tripped over and fell without any collision. He tore a meniscus- a cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the shinbone and the thighbone- and ruptured a ligament in his right knee. Chamrouern has pain, swelling, and loss of range of motion in his right knee. He continues to have a feeling of instability or "giving way" while bearing any weight on his knee and requires pain medication. Missing out on training and competing has affected his emotional and social well-being, as well as his identity as a fierce competitor. When Chamroeurn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for five hours seeking treatment. On February 17th, surgeons at CSC will perform an anterior cruciate ligament repair procedure to relocate and secure his right knee. Chamroeurn needs help to fund this $600 procedure. Chamroeurn said: "After surgery, I hope that I can play soccer again and get the scholarship. This will help me to support my parents."

Jul is a homemaker from Thailand. She lives with her husband, toddler son, and sister-in-law. Her husband is also a homemaker, and her sister-in-law is a student. During her free time, she enjoys looking after her son and doing household chores. She is currently expecting her second child. Her doctors recommend that she deliver via a Caesarean section because she previously gave birth through an emergency C-section. Delivering via C-section ensures the safety of both the mother and the child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Jul undergo a C-Section on January 30th. This procedure will cost $1500, and Jul and her family need your support. “I want to have a girl this time because I already have a son,” Jul said.