Khom is a 73-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has four children, ten grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio in her spare time. Two months ago, Khom developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, and going anywhere outside. When Khom learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 19th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $211 procedure. Khom said, "I hope that after my operation, I will be able to see clearly again and can return to work and sell my Khmer desserts."

Yin Yin is a 27-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with with her husband, her sister-in-law, her sister-in-law’s husband, her niece and her niece’s two small boys. Her husband, who is the only one supporting her financially, works as a cleaner at a shopping mall. In her free time, she likes to read Burmese novels. Three years ago, when Yin Yin worked as a cleaner in Bangkok, she felt tired, had no appetite, had memory loss and frequent urination. She was brought to a hospital where she was told she has a blood clot in the back of her head. She had it removed surgically, which her employer lent her money for. On December 6th and 8th, Yin Yin had two seizures. She and her husband sought treatment at Mae Tao Clinic, where she was admitted. She does not remember what happened but was given medication and told to come back if she felt unwell. On January 14th, however, she came back to the clinic, complaining of soreness in the back of her head where her first surgery took place. She also reported continued blurry vision, memory loss and fatigue. When the weather gets cold, she feels stiff and sore in her neck and hands. MTC thought she might have encephalitis but needed a CT scan to confirm her diagnosis. Unable to pay, MTC referred her to Watsi Partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance in accessing further treatment. Doctors want Yin Yin 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 her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Yin Yin's CT scan and care, scheduled for January 28th. “It has been very difficult for me, but my husband gives me encouragement,” said Yin Yin.

We met with eleven-year-old Ian in the hospital ward as he was admitted for a skin traction after he fell from a tree and broke his left hand. His mother sat beside him helplessly while she watched her only son in pain. It took me time for his mother to talk as she was feeling very disturbed and stressed because of her son's condition. She was trying to help him sit up but he couldn’t because of his fractured hand. Ian was brought to the hospital accompanied by his parents. They walked for hours to get the nearest health facility where he was referred to our hospital for surgical review. On arrival, he had an x-ray done which showed that Ian had fractured his left supracondylar. Ian is the third born child in a family of five. He is the eldest son of Christine and Isaac. They are a humble family who is struggling financially and often lack food for their children. Ian's father is a farmer and his mother is a housewife. They live in a two-roomed mud house in upcountry of Kenya. Ian's father, who is a maize farmer says that his farming is not doing well due to poor rains in the area and he has not been getting good yields in recent years. Medical examination shows that Ian needs urgent surgical intervention for his hand, but his family is unable to raise money for their son’s surgery apart from $30 that they collected from friends and family. His family is requesting our prayers and financial support for Ian’s treatment enable him use his hand. Christine, Ian’s mother says, “It is painful to see my son cry in pain. I hope he will receive treatment soon. All I want is to see him happy.”