Thein is a seven-year-old student from Burma. She lives with her mother and grandfather and is currently a first-grade student. Her father works as a driver at a toy factory in Bangkok and Thein’s mother stays home to care for her. The family relies on her father’s income, which is enough to cover their daily expenses. They are able to pay for basic healthcare, but they cannot afford expensive treatment costs. During her free time, Thein enjoys helping her mother with household chores. Currently, Thein faces difficulty seeing objects clearly, requiring the use of thick eyeglasses. Additionally, she must sit in the front row of the classroom, near the blackboard, to follow her teachers’ lesson. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Thein. On February 16th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Thein's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she and her family need help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Thein’s mother said, “Thank you [BCMF and donors] for helping my daughter to get a good and clear vision. I pray for the donors to have wealthy lives and continue helping others.” Thein also said, “I want to be a teacher when I grow up and thanks for your help.”

Dim is a 47-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. He lives in Kampong Thom province with his wife and their three children aged 14, 10, and 2 years old. Dim's wife works alongside him as a rice farmer. In his free time, Dim likes to watch TV. In 2021, Dim was in an accident while he was driving a tractor on the farm, resulting in a dislocation of his left shoulder. Three years later in April 2024, he tripped and fell, re-dislocating the same shoulder. He has been taking pain relievers to ease his symptoms, but he still experiences pain and stiffness and is unable use his arm. When Dim learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for four hours seeking treatment. On May 2nd, surgeons at CSC will perform a Latarjet procedure to stabilize the shoulder where the bone damage occurred after traumatic shoulder dislocation. The bone graft will restore bone loss and a tendon transfer will provide a muscle sling at the front to treat his shoulder instability. Dim and his family are able to contribute $100 towards the cost of his treatment and need help raising $500 more to fund the procedure. Dim says, "I hope I will be able to use my left arm, and resume working on my rice farm together with my wife."

Nak is the matriarch of a close-knit family consisting of six members. Widowed after the death of her husband, she lives with her oldest daughter, who works in a clothing factory, her son-in-law, and their children. She has a grandson in grade eight, a granddaughter in grade four, and a lively four-year-old who stays home with Nak. Since retiring from farming, Nak has taken responsibility for cooking and cleaning. Nak's health poses significant challenges. Diagnosed with diabetes six years ago, she battles the effects of a persistent wound on her left toe. There was an unfortunate incident with a penetrating injury from a thorn, which went untreated for a long time. She was referred to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for diagnosis and treatment. Doctors have diagnosed her with dry gangrene. The blood supply to her toe has been cut off due to her diabetes, and the toe has become dry and turned black. Nak is in pain and feels poorly. Although her diabetes is under control, she is weak and must use a wheelchair. Surgery is necessary to prevent the gangrene from spreading and to allow the surrounding healthy tissue to heal. To address the issue and avoid further pain, an amputation of her toe is proposed. Doctors plan to take her to surgery on January 2nd. Now her family needs help with the cost of her surgery and her care. Our medical partner is requesting $479. This will cover the procedure, post-operative hospitalization, medications, and physical therapy. Nak's daughter said: "After surgery, we hope she can walk easier with no pain, and no infection."