Dane is a studious fourth-grader. She and her family live in Banteay Meanchey province, where her parents sell spices at the local market. She has a 7-year-old sister in second grade. At school, she likes Khmer history, mathematics and likes reading books. She hopes to continue her education and be a teacher some day. Three years ago, Dane and her younger sister's hands and legs were burned from a gas explosion. Despite receiving burn care at a local pediatric hospital, numerous burn scars persist on her hands and her legs, especially on Dane's right fingers. This condition significantly hampers her overall hand function. She is unable to grasp objects and has one affected finger that is nonfunctional. The visible effects of her hand condition contribute to her feelings of embarrassment. She has difficulty writing and is shy in school. When Dane's family learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for six and a half hours seeking treatment. On January 30th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help her use her fingers and hand more efficiently. Now, her family needs help to fund this $495 procedure. Dane said: "I hope I can use my fingers after this operation, and can hold things better in school."

Oliver is a married mother of four children, all of whom are married with children except the last one who is still in school. She is a farmer together with her husband. Her second child, a daughter, has been there for her support throughout her illness. Oliver likes chatting with her daughter and enjoys eating nsima made from cassava maize flour served with fresh fish. Oliver was well until one year ago when she noted a small lump on her right breast that was not painful. She visited her nearest hospital where some pain medication was provided. She visited many other hospitals after noting that the growth was becoming bigger as time passed. At one of the hospitals, a diagnosis of suspected breast cancer was made before proceeding to Kamuzu Central Hospital for further assessments. At Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), different tests were done, and a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma was made followed by four cycles of neoadjuvant therapy. Oliver was later scheduled for surgery on January 15th this year but unfortunately, she did not report back since she did not have the funds. On January 29th, Oliver went back to KCH where she was referred to our medical partner's care center Partners in Hope Medical Center (PIH) so that she can undergo surgery more urgently. Of late, Oliver has been experiencing needle pricking pains, and weakness affecting her farm work plus household chores as a mother. On January 30th, Oliver reported to PIH and met the surgeon who confirmed the need for a modified radical mastectomy. Modified radical mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast, including the nipple, areola, and skin plus most axillary lymph nodes. Oliver believes the surgical operation will help her get back home in a good condition and enable her to resume her farm work. Oliver said, “Kindly remove this breast for me to have my peace of mind after getting rid of these bad symptoms that I experience, I would rather be able to move on in my age.”

Thu Ra is a 13-year-old boy from Burma who lives with his family in Karen State. Thu Ra is the youngest of his three siblings. His father is a day labourer and his mother is a homemaker. Around seven years ago, Thu Ra started experiencing a loss of appetite and feelings of dizziness along with muscle tightness and pain throughout his body. He was diagnosed with thalassemia, a blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Physicians at Mae Sot General Hospital determined Thu Ra should undergo a splenectomy, surgery to remove the spleen, which will help manage his condition. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. The treatment is scheduled to take place at Mae Sot General Hospital on April 1st. Once completed, Thu Ra's quality of life is expected to improve. Thu Ra's mother said, “If Thu Ra gets better, I wish for him to finish school and become an educator. Thank you so much to the donors. If it were just up to me, I couldn’t afford the surgery on my own. It means a lot to me and my family. Thank you.”