Leakhena is a quiet 14-year-old girl from Cambodia. She and her twin brother live with their 65-year-old grandmother in Kampong Cham province. Her brother is learning to be a monk at a local temple, while Leakhena stays home to help their grandmother. At home, Leakhena likes to watch TV. According to her grandmother, Leakhena has had knee stiffness and difficulty walking since she was a toddler and is unable to fully straighten her right knee. When Leakhena's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, they traveled for three and a half hours to seek treatment. On February 15th, surgeons at CSC will perform a quadricepsplasty procedure of her right leg to help her walk better. Leakhena needs our help to fund this $482 procedure. She said: "I hope it will be easy to walk and I will not have any pain."

Mary is a 53-year-old who has been a widow since 2010 raising her two kids with challenges. Her older son has autism and requires full time attention. Her last-born daughter recently graduated from college and does not have a source of income yet. Mary lives in her ancestral home. She has not been able to pay her monthly insurance medical premiums so does not have coverage and has been relying on her relatives to support her medical bills. Mary feels in pain and uncomfortable. She has been having stomach pains for the last six months. She went to a local government hospital in central Kenya and was treated for amoeba and stomach pains. She was relieved for a short while, but the pains recurred. Almost a month later the pain increased and was accompanied by vomiting. She opted to visit Kijabe Hospital, where she was reviewed and the pain was controlled. She was requested to do a colonoscopy and other tests to get a detailed diagnosis. Since she was feeling better after the review, she did not follow up on the plan due to financial constraints. However, six months later the symptoms recurred and she came back in January. Her tests and a biopsy revealed cancer in the colon that needs urgent attention as it is life threatening. Mary has now been scheduled for a right hemicolectomy procedure. One side of the infected colon (large intestine) will be removed to avoid metastasis. Sadly, she is financially constrained. Her friends at home have requested time, two months, to be able to find the required amount for the surgery. This is a long period considering the case is cancerous. She appeals for support so she can undergo treatment now. Our medical partner is requesting $1,074 to fund her surgery and help her fight the cancer. Mary says, “I have been in pain for over six months now. I thought it would be relieved, but the diagnosis is now shockingly cancer. I need this surgery to stop the disease.”

Chit is a 12-year-old girl from Burma. Her family moved to Thailand when her village was burned down. She lives with her mother, her twin sister, and her brother. Chit's mother works at home and looks after the children. Her brother runs a barber shop and her father is a monk who lives in the monastery in the village. Chit's brother's income supports their family. When Chit turned two years old, her mother noticed that whenever she tried to look at something, like pictures, she stared at them very closely. Last year, Chit had a check-up at a clinic and was told that her both eyes have cataracts so even when wearing eyeglasses, she is unable to see clearly. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Chit. On April 4th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Chit's natural lenses and replace them with an intraocular lens implant in each eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Chit said, “I am sad when I don’t see clearly because I can’t go to school without help from my family, I cannot study and play with my friends.” Chit's brother added, “I worry for her how she will live with her current condition when I don’t stay near her, but now when I know that she has donors to support her treatment at Chiang Mai, I am relieved.”