Racheal is a middle-aged small businesswoman from Uganda. She is the mother of one and shared that she separated from her husband due to domestic violence. She now lives with her twenty-five-year-old daughter and her grandchild. She works hard to provide for her family. Eleven years ago, Racheal began to experience troubling symptoms, including a neck swelling. It was small and painless initially but has increased in size over the years. The swelling now causes respiratory problems, worrying Racheal. A doctor examined Racheal and diagnosed a multi-nodular goiter - an enlarged thyroid gland with separate bumps (nodules) on it. Racheal needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Racheal receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 8th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and Racheal and her family need help raising money. Racheal says, “I believe with your support I will have a successful surgery with a positive outcome for my life.”

Sambath is a cheerful six-year-old boy from Cambodia. He lives with his three siblings and parents, who earn income by collecting plastic bottles for recycling. Two years ago, Sambath had an ear infection that caused the ear drums in his right and left ears to perforate. As a result, Sambath experiences ear discharge, hearing loss, and a history of snoring at night which has been exacerbated by an inflammation of the nose. His communication with others has been hampered, and he no longer attends school. Sambath and his mother traveled to our medical partner's care center to seek help for his condition. On March 20th, he will undergo a myringoplasty procedure to repair the eardrums on both of his ears, at Kien Khlang National Rehabilitation Centre. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $914 to cover medications, supplies, and inpatient care for the procedure. Sambath's mother says, "After surgery, I hope that Sambath will be able to speak more clearly, and that his hearing will improve. I would like for him to do well in school, and feel hopeful about the future."

Gian is a one-year-old baby boy from Kenya. Both of his parents are Intern Teachers and Gian is their only baby. About seven months ago, Gian’s father noticed there was something different about Gian's body. They took him to a nearby health center where, after examination, they were advised to take him to a major Hospital. They brought him to Nazareth Hospital and was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Gian has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, infection, testicular torsion, and fertility problems in the future. Gian will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on April 4th. AMH is requesting $483 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Gian's father said, “When we took him to the health center, we were told this can cause problems for him in the future. We now seek help so that he can undergo the treatment and at least grow up like any other boy."