Manet is a happy pre-schooler from Cambodia. He is five years old and attends a local preschool in Phnom Penh, where he lives with his parents and older sister. His dad is in the army, and his mom stays at home to look after the kids and assist older relatives. Manet loves fried eggs with toast, painting, and riding his bike up and down the street. Around two years ago, Manet started experiencing a persistent sore throat, and difficulty swallowing and sleeping at night. Frequent illness already causes him to miss school. Manet was recently diagnosed with enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which, if not treated, will cause his symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $265 to fund a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for Manet, which is scheduled to take place on February 1st. Surgeons will remove his tonsils and adenoids, hopefully relieving Manet of his symptoms and helping him live much more comfortably. His mom shared, "I hope he can feel healthy again. It is very hard for him to always be sick and we want him to attend school every day."

Samoeun is a widow and retired rice farmer from Kampong Cham province. Currently, she lives with her only son and his family, who now manage the family farm. She likes cleaning the house, taking care of her grandchildren, and listening to the monks pray on the radio. For approximately 30 years, Samoeun has had a lesion on her skull. About five years ago, she had a lesion on her back that was removed, but no biopsy was done. Her current lesion is circular, approximately a 4 cm. x 4 cm. lesion. Because it is on her skull, she can only feel it and does not know for sure if it has grown recently. It does not cause her pain, but it is itchy and she is concerned. Fortunately, a relative told her about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, and the good care given for Cambodians. Samoeun traveled three hours with her son for a diagnosis and surgical excision. On February 13th, surgeons will perform a complex excision of the skull lesion. With concerns looming over the possibility of basal cell carcinoma, they plan to remove as much as feasible, ensuring Samoeun's well-being and peace of mind. The cost of this procedure is $726, which will cover surgical care, recovery in the hospital, medications, and histology analysis of the lesion. Samoeun shared: "I am worried about the results, but hope I have no pain or infection and can take care of myself well, and enjoy my retirement with my family."

Genesis is a 14-year-old girl from a city in central Bolivia. She is in eighth grade and lives with her mother, who raises her independently. Her mother works as a food vendor. Genesis' father passed away when she was younger. In her free time, she enjoys art and music. When Genesis was younger, she was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta, a condition in which a major artery connected to the heart is too narrow to operate properly. When she was younger, doctors felt that the condition was not severe enough to operate; as she has grown older, however, she has felt weaker become increasingly tired, so surgery is necessary. Fortunately, our medical partners, The International Cardiac Alliance can help. Genesis is scheduled to undergo Congenital Cardiac surgery on March 21st. Our medical partners are requesting $1,500 to fund her procedure. After surgery, Genesis should make a full recovery. Genesis said, "I am hopeful that after my surgery I will feel stronger and have more energy to do things."