Thoeun is 75 years old and a loving grandmother from Cambodia. She plants rice and sells traditional Khmer desserts in her free time. She is married and has two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys attending ceremonies and visiting the pagoda. Five years ago, Thoeun developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage, wind, or dust and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Thoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On October 15th, Thoeun will undergo surgery to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. Her family can contribute $25, but needs help raising $273 more to fund her procedure and care. Thoeun shared, "I hope that after the surgery, the irritation and tearing in my eyes will stop and my vision will improve. I would like to go back and sell Khmer desserts."

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.”

Phyo Min is a 31-year-old agricultural day labourer from Burma. He lives with his wife, two sons, and daughter in a refugee village in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thailand. Phyo Min works as an agricultural day labourer in the corn fields near his village, while his wife is a homemaker. Their three children are students attending a migrant school. Originally from Bago Division, Burma, the family moved to Thailand in 2020 to seek better job opportunities. On the 9th of March 2026, Phyo Min experienced severe upper right abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting. After several tests, doctors found that he had multiple stones in the intrahepatic duct (IHD) and common hepatic duct (CHD) with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. Phyo Min has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, his symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), is helping Phyo Min undergo surgery on August 14th. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Phyo Min's procedure and care. Phyo Min said, "I am happy and excited to receive surgery, but I am also a bit scared. However, without surgery, I won't feel better, so this is the only option that will help me get better. After treatment, I will rest for a while and go back to work as soon as possible, as I am the only person who can support my family."