Samnang is a 31-year-old farmer from Cambodia. Residing in rural Kampong Speu province with his elderly parents and older brother, Samnang and his brother are subsistence rice farmers. What they do not eat, they sell at the local market in exchange for vegetables and other items. Before his injury, he enjoyed football matches with neighbors as part of everyday life. In September 2023, Samnang had a motorbike collision with a car, falling hard on his right shoulder on the pavement. This caused head trauma and paralysis of his right shoulder and arm. He was taken to a local hospital, where it was confirmed that he ruptured his brachial plexus, causing certain muscles to be unusable. The brachial plexus is a nerve network that transmits signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries to this nerve network can result in loss of function and sensation. However, he was unable to afford the care that is required to help and has not been able to use his arm or work for the past four months. He has pain over his shoulder and no sensation in his forearm. Samnang traveled to Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre to receive treatment. This is the only center in the whole country where this treatment is available. On January 30th, he will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. After recovery, he hopes to have some function of his right arm restored. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $709 to fund this procedure. Samnang said: "I hope I can use my hand again so I can work and my brother will not have to take care of me."

Ork is a 60-year-old retired construction worker. He is widowed with five children and one grandchild. Ork's four daughters are married and have moved out to surrounding villages. He currently lives with his son, daughter-in-law, and newborn grandchild. His son, a construction worker, shoulders the responsibility of providing for his family. Ork's daughter-in-law works in a nearby garment factory but is taking several months of leave to care for their newborn. Ork enjoys watching TV, listening to monks pray on the radio, and looking after his grandchild. Around ten years ago, Ork developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him to tear often and have blurry vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, so it is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. He has difficulty seeing things, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on his own. When Ork learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for one and a half hours seeking treatment. On March 11th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Ork said, “I hope after surgery I will be able to go to the pagoda by myself. I want to be able to do things on my own and help to take care of my family."

Joselito, a 59-year-old father from the Philippines, works as a taxi driver and earns minimum wage. His income is insufficient to provide for his family of five, prompting him to take on extra jobs to make ends meet. Twenty years ago, Joselito began to experience troubling symptoms, including severe pain on the left side of his stomach, which radiated to his back. Initially, he tried drinking a lot of water to ease the pain, and it subsided. When he consulted with a doctor he was asked to take an ultrasound, but could not due to financial constraints. At the onset of an extremely painful episode, Joselito was rushed to a nearby hospital and was diagnosed with gallstones. He was advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. He was informed that if left untreated, his symptoms would continue to worsen and put him at risk of further health complications in the future. Unable to cover the cost of the necessary surgery, he was prescribed pain medication instead. Fortunately, Joselito then sought treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP). He is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on March 27th. A portion of the cost of the procedure is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Jose is seeking support for the remaining $1,128. Joselito says, "Since I started to feel the symptoms attack more often, I had to reduce my work hours and this took a toll on the family's income and expenses. While my family worries about my health, I am worried that I will not be able to give them what they need because of my condition, so I deeply appreciate the assistance I am receiving for my medical care."