La Min is a 21-year-old young woman from Burma. She lives with her aunt in Bangkok, Thailand. She moved to Bangkok from her village in Karen State, Burma, in 2023 in search of better job opportunities. She worked as a waitress, but had to stop because of her health. La Min has a heart condition that requires replacement of two heart valves -the aortic and mitral valves - and repair of the tricuspid valve. These valves control the blood flow between the chambers of the heart and are necessary to prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Currently, La Min experiences fatigue and a rapid heartbeat while walking even short distances, poor appetite, and chest pain. Even though she has lived with her condition almost all her life, she still experiences anxiety and stress during her episodes. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for this complex surgery. The treatment is scheduled to take place on April 10th and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and have a more active and healthy life ahead. In the future, La Min hopes to continue to work in Bangkok and save enough money to return to her village in Burma. There she dreams of opening a restaurant and selling Thai food. She said, “When I lie down at night, I hear my rapid heartbeat and have trouble falling asleep. When I am very tired and experience heart palpitations, I worry that my heartbeat will stop suddenly. I want to know what the world is like without my heart disease.”

Chhem is a 61-year-old woman from Cambodia. She lives in Prey Veng Province with her elderly husband and her second child, who is a rice farmer. She has six children, three of whom are married and live in a nearby village. She helps care for her grandchildren and spends her free time listening to monks' sermons. One year ago, Chhem started to experience pain in her nose and ears, headaches, and blurred vision, which have significantly affected her daily life. These symptoms make it difficult for her to sleep and leave her feeling constantly tired, limiting her ability to care for her family. She previously sought treatment at another hospital, where she received medication for two weeks, but her condition did not improve. Chhem has now traveled to our medical partner’s care center to seek further treatment. On April 2nd, surgeons at Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) will perform endoscopic sinus surgery to help relieve her symptoms and improve her quality of life. Her family can contribute $50, but needs help raising $299 more to fund her procedure and care. Chhem said, “After the surgery, I hope that the pain in my nostril, headache, ear pain, and blurred vision will go away, so I can sleep better and feel healthy again."

Char is a 55-year-old man from Burma who lives with his wife, two daughters, and two sons. His oldest two children work as small-scale farmers alongside Char and his wife, while his two youngest are students. Char's family also raises buffalo, pigs, and chickens for their consumption and to sell for income every four or five months. Char shared that the money they earn from selling their livestock, as well as the crops they grow for themselves, is just enough to cover their daily needs and to pay for basic health care. Char has a right inguinal hernia with bowel obstruction that is causing him to experience a lot of pain, difficulty walking and moving, and a reduced appetite. He needs to undergo surgery to heal from his condition. Fortunately, our medical partner can help him undergo hernia repair surgery on May 12th, which, once completed, will allow him to live more comfortably. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,468 to fund Char's surgery. Char shared about how upsetting this condition has been for him and his family, stating: "I cannot help my family take care of our rice fields, [vegetable] garden, or buffaloes," he said. "After I recover, I want to go home to take care of our rice fields and look after my buffalo. I will also go to the forest to forage for vegetables and hunt."