Kwangu is a farmer and a single mother of three adult children. She enjoys taking care of her grandchild and eating maize porridge with vegetables prepared with groundnut flour. Kwangu was diagnosed with a goiter, which was affecting her movement, daily activities, and health. She was referred to Partners in Hope Medical Center where she was told she needed a thyroidectomy, a procedure where surgeons remove a part or all of the thyroid glands. She is scheduled for surgery on February 27th and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare is requesting $1,015 for the procedure. Kwangu believes that the surgical operation will help her get back home and be with her children. She looks forward to getting better after surgery so she can continue her farm work and support her family as a single parent.

Sa is a 43-year-old woman from Thailand who lives with her nephew in a village in Tak Province. She used to be a farmer but was forced to stop working last year due to her condition. For several months, Sa has been experiencing abdominal pain and massive bleeding. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy which involves the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Sa's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications. Fortunately, Sa is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on March 29th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, she will no longer be in pain and will be able to work on the farm again. Sa said, “I feel happy to receive the treatment through the support from BCMF and its donors. I hope that I will undergo the operation soon so that I can go back to work on the farm.”

Su is a 44-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her husband, a gardener, and her son, a shop worker while Su is a homemaker. Their combined income is enough to cover basic expenses, and if they have any money extra, they send it to Su’s parents in Burma. Su noticed back pain in the beginning in August 2023 which affected her moving and sleeping but thought it nothing serious. As the pain gradually worsened, she came down with a fever in September and sought treatment at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). At MTC she underwent an ultrasound, finding a mass on her right ovary, she was subsequently referred to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH). Su visited MSH a total of four times over the following months and in December at her visit to MSH she was told by doctors that she would have to go for a Computed Tomography (CT) scan to confirm her diagnosis. Doctors want Su 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 Su's CT scan and care, scheduled for February 1st. Su said, "When I recover from my treatments, I hope to begin working with my husband in the flower garden.”