Sarah is a calm teenager and in class six from Kenya. She is an aspiring lawyer and firstborn of two children. She lives with her mother and younger sister in a two-room house in the Rift valley region of Kenya. Her father left them years back due to the increasing family demands. Sarah was diagnosed with spina bifida at birth and was treated. The site is however prone to infection and if not treated, result in severe pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Sarah receive treatment. On October 30th, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure to this will eliminate the risk of infection. Now, Sarah needs help to fund this $1,129 procedure. “I would like to be a lawyer when I grow up,” says Sarah.

Linn is a 24-year-old seventh grader from Burma. She lives with her parents, grandmother, an uncle and three younger sisters in Myawaddy Township, Karen State. Among her family, only her father and her mother work. Her uncle stays home and looks after her grandmother and her youngest sister, while her two other sisters go to school. To support their family, Linn’s parents work as day labourers. About six months ago, while she was studying at school, Linn started to experience dizziness and severe headaches. When she looked at the blackboard and her notebook, she had blurry double vision. However, she did not say anything to the teacher as she is new at the school and she was afraid of the teacher. When her friends found out what was happening to her, they wanted to tell the teacher, but Linn forbid them from doing so. After a month of struggling with this problem, Linn finally told her mother. She had kept it from her as she knew about their financial difficulties and she did not want to become a burden. Linn's parents took her to an eyeglass shop in Myawaddy. There, they examine her eyesight, told Linn that she does not need eyeglasses and urged her to go to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) in Thailand. Doctors want Linn 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 Linn's CT scan and care, scheduled for September 2nd. As for Linn, she enjoys studying a lot. She said, “English and mathematics are my favorite subjects. I’m also interested in karate as self-defense course and I want to learn it. But, when I have time, I have to help out with household chores. I also have to set aside time to studying.”

Tha is a 55-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has five children, five grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio in her spare time. Three years ago, Tha developed a pterygium in left, causing her tearing, irritation, 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 and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Tha learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. Tha needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $201. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for September 10. "I hope that after my surgery I can see clearly and am able to go outside on my own and return to planting rice."