Chisuka is a widow who lost her husband in February 2023. Chisuka has never had a child of her own but has been keeping three orphans aged 15, 10, and 6 years old for her late sister who passed on 5 years ago. Her husband had lost his first wife 30 years ago who left a 6-year-old son who has been brought up by Chisuka until now. He is a soldier who is married with one child. Chisuka and her late husband loved these orphans and brought them up like their own before death separated them. Chisuka shared that a month after losing her husband, she was chased out of her main house and most of her belongings were taken by her in-laws. Chisuka is now in the boys’ quarter together with her children while the main house is rented but the money is not shared with her. Her stepson withdrew his support after the death of his father. Chisuka started selling groundnut flour for a living. She likes praying and encouraging her children to work hard at school since life has changed for the worse. Chisuka was well until three years ago when she started experiencing cramping abdominal pains and felt a hard mass on the left side of her abdomen. Chisuka has been to different hospitals without much improvement. Of late Chisuka has had overwhelming abdominal pains, bleeding tendencies, loss of appetite leading to loss of weight, a lot of discomforts leading to more stress, weakness, and general body pain. On 24th January, Chisuka was booked and seen by the gynecologist at our medical partner's care center PIH who confirmed the diagnosis of multiple uterine fibroids through an ultrasound scan. She was notified about the need for a surgical intervention called total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) which is the removal of the uterus, including the cervix. Chisuka was then referred to the Watsi program due to her financial status. She is contributing what she can and needs help raising $1,363 to fund her surgery. Fibroids are abnormal growths that develop in a woman's uterus. Fibroids might become quite large leading to severe abdominal pain and heavy bleeding. If left untreated, fibroids continue to grow, both in size and number worsening the symptoms; the heavy bleeding may become worse causing anemia which may be fatal. After the surgery, it is expected that Chisuka will stop having unbearable abdominal pains and heavy bleeding and will continue taking care of her late sister’s children and living a more comfortable life. Chisuka, with tears in her eyes, said, “Please help me, I have faced more than I could, and now I need a breather and a comfortable life to let me render support to my children.”

Nyi is a 22-year-old man from Thailand. He lives in the monastery with two other monks. He helps the monk with cooking, cleaning, and looking after the monks. He receives free food and free accommodation. He has no income but has enough food. Originally from Burma, his aim of coming to Thailand was to look for better job opportunities and also to seek treatment but because of his condition, he does not have job and ended up living in the monastery. In December 2022, Nyi started experiencing some headaches and blurred vision. He went to the local eye clinic and his eyes were tested and he received a pair of eyeglasses. However, the eyeglasses did not help him see better so the doctor suggested him to have further investigation and possibly a computerized scan (CT). Nyi had no money so he did not pursue further investigation of his symptoms. He was looking for a way to get treatment and finally arrived in Thailand and visited Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) in November 2023. After meeting with the doctor at MTC, the doctor told him to go to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further investigation and explained to him that his eyes looked normal but there might be a tumor that is causing his blurred vision, the doctor then recommended he undergo a CT scan to confirm his diagnosis and make the best plan for his care. Doctors want Nyi 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 Nyi's CT scan and care, scheduled for January 30th. Nyi said, "I want to recover and get a job so that I can earn money for my living."

Chan Bora is an angelic baby boy from Cambodia. He lives with his parents, his 10-year-old sister, and his 8-year-old brother in Phnom Penh province. His parents work as fruit sellers at the local market, often taking Chan Bora with them when his siblings are in school. His favorite pastime involves playful interactions with items left on the floor, especially his siblings' toys. Additionally, he has a fondness for nutritious duck eggs prepared by his mother. Chan Bora has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Fortunately, Chan Bora's family traveled one and a half to visit our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). There, surgeons will perform bilateral tendo-achilles lengthening and casting to correct the foot equinus (pointing down) position on January 9th. CSC is requesting $444 to fund Chan Bora's clubfoot repair. After treatment, both of the affected tendons in his feet will stretch and grow into the right position, allowing him to walk as he grows. Chan Bora's mother said: "I hope after surgery and taking off the cast, he can run around like other children."