Tola is a bright eleven-year-old student in grade five. He lives in Kampong Chhnang province with his family. He has a younger sister in grade one and a younger brother who is not yet in school. His parents are rice farmers. At home, he enjoys playing with his siblings and likes to eat any food his mother makes that has chicken! In school, Khmer is his favorite subject, and he would like to be a policeman when he grows up. When Tola was one year old, he had an infection and was given several intra-muscular injections in his right thigh. He subsequently developed muscle contractures that inhibit his ability to flex or straighten his right leg. If not properly managed, this can progress over time and further compromise his walking ability. When Tola and his family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled for two hours seeking treatment. On January 20th, surgeons at CSC will perform a quadricepsplasty procedure on his right thigh. This will release the quadriceps muscle and improve the range of knee flexion. After he recovers, Tola will be able to walk and run alongside his friends. Tola and his family need help raising $482 to fund his procedure and care. His mother said: "After surgery, we hope that Tola can bend and straighten his knee like other children, and won't feel ashamed that he looks different."

Sok Na is a third-grader from Cambodia. She is nine years old and lives in Kampong Cham with her grandmother. Her mom and dad live about two hours away in order to be near their factory jobs. Sok Na loves reading, and she dreams of being an English teacher! She also loves playing with her neighbors and being outside in her free time. Four years ago, Sok Na developed a small mass on her ear. Since then, the mass has grown larger and is sometimes itchy. She also worries her classmates are looking at it when she is at school. Sok Na traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On May 2nd, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), will remove the mass. CSC is requesting $273 to fund this procedure. Sok Na's family contributed $100 to her care. Her grandmother said: "I hope she can feel comfortable and go back to school soon."

Khine is a 17-year-old girl from Burma. She lives with her mother, her older sister, and her uncle's family. She works as a domestic worker. Three months ago, she started to feel dizzy and have headaches. She had a CT scan at Mae Sot Hospital, which indicated she might have a brain tumor. Shine experiences headaches, dizziness, and sometimes vomits. She has also had seizures multiple times and weakness in her limbs. She has little appetite and has lost weight. Gradually, she is losing her ability to speak. Khine sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the tumor on February 3rd. She is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Her uncle said, "Although I am a man, I have cried for my niece. I even thought about selling one of my organs (for money), one of my kidneys perhaps, because we cannot afford to treat her. Thank you to all the donors for helping my niece. After she is treated, I want her to have a happy family, with a husband and children. I cannot wait to see my niece happy."