Mesa is 10 years old and a Grade 4 student from Cambodia. He lives with his parents and younger brother in Kompong Spue Province. His parents run a small shop where they take photos for students and print documents. He enjoys math at school, looks after his younger brother, and plays football with friends in his village. His favorite meal is lemongrass sour soup with eggs. When Mesa was one year old, he was burned by hot water, causing an injury to his left hand. He received a skin graft to the back of his hand at a governmental hospital, followed by a release of the fourth web space about a year later. He has since developed burn scar contractures between the second, third, and fourth fingers. The scars between his fingers restrict the spaces between them and make it difficult for him to fully straighten his left-hand fingers. He sometimes struggles to hold objects, and the appearance of his hand makes him feel shy around other people. Mesa's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, and sought treatment. On September 15th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help open the tight spaces between his fingers and improve the movement of his left hand, making it easier for him to straighten his fingers and hold things. Now, he needs help to fund this $652 procedure. Mesa's father said, “I hope this surgery will help my son straighten his fingers and use his left hand more easily when holding things. I also hope that as his hand improves, he will feel less shy and more confident around other people.”

Chantha is a 37-year-old factory worker from Cambodia. He is married and lives in Kampong Chhnang Province with his wife, who works in a garment factory. Together, they are raising two children; their eldest is in Grade 6, and their youngest is 4 years old. In his free time, Chantha enjoys drinking coffee and chatting with his friends in the village. About three years ago, Chantha developed tuberculosis of his right ankle, which caused swelling, redness, and severe pain. Although he completed a full course of tuberculosis treatment and the infection was cured, it left his right ankle joint permanently damaged. Since then, he has continued to suffer from pain, stiffness, and difficulty walking. He now relies on crutches to get around, making it difficult to work, care for his family, and carry out everyday activities. When Chantha learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On July 14th, surgeons at CSC will perform a joint arthrodesis procedure to fuse his right ankle joint and to relieve his pain, improve the stability of his ankle, and help him stand and walk more comfortably so he can return to his daily life with greater independence. Chantha can contribute $50, but needs help raising $561 more to fund his procedure and care. Chantha said, “My greatest wish is to wake up one day without this ankle pain. I hope this surgery will help me move freely again and return to the activities I have missed.”

Meng Leap is a 13-month-old baby boy from Cambodia. He lives in Kratie Province with his parents and two older brothers. He is the youngest child in the family. His first brother is in Grade 4, and his second brother is a kindergarten student. He enjoys playing with toys and likes eating different kinds of fish soup. Meng Leap was born with syndactyly of the right hand. This means that his second, third, fourth, and fifth fingers of his right hand are fused. The fused fingers make it difficult for him to hold and grasp objects, affecting the normal use of his right hand. His right hand and arm are smaller than the left side, which may affect his hand function and confidence as he grows older. Fortunately, on July 20th, surgeons will perform a syndactyly repair procedure to separate and release the fused digits. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $462 to fund this procedure. After surgery, he will be able to hold and grasp objects more easily and use his hand more normally as he grows. Meng Leap's parents said, “We hope this surgery will help our son use his hand more easily to hold and grasp things. We also hope he will grow up feeling confident and never feel shy because of his hand.”