Min is a 43-year-old construction worker and father of ten from Cambodia. Min and his wife live in Koh Kong province near the Thai border with four of their ten children. The other children have moved out in search of jobs in nearby towns. While Min works in construction, his wife is busy taking care of their children. In his free time, Min enjoys watching Thai and Cambodian boxing and playing soccer in the village. On April 12th, Min was in a motorbike accident, causing an open fracture on his right forearm. He received treatment for the fracture at a provincial hospital, where the wound was dressed and closed. Unfortunately, the wound became infected. Now he experiences pain, swelling, and limited function in his arm. When Min learned about our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On April 19th, surgeons at CSC will perform a debridement procedure to remove damaged and infected tissue from the wound. Now, Min needs help to fund this $324 procedure. Min shared, "I hope this will heal so I can return to work and support my family."

Edina, a 41-year-old mother of seven, works as a vegetable seller, earning about $2.97 per day for her family's upkeep. She finds joy interacting with her customers and has a fondness for chicken and nsima, a Malawian staple porridge made from maize flour. Four years ago, Edina discovered a small, painless swelling on the right side of her neck. After seeking medical advice at a nearby hospital, she was diagnosed with goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland. She was instructed to wait for an opportunity for surgery, but her condition has worsened, causing breathlessness, neck pain, and difficulty lifting heavy objects. This has affected her work capacity and resulted in a decrease in income. Inspired by a fellow community member's journey to seek help, Edina visited our medical partner's care facility, Partners in Hope Medical Centre, where a surgeon reconfirmed the need for a thyroidectomy, the surgical removal of all or part of your thyroid gland. Faced with financial hardships, Edina is seeking support for her surgery treatment. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Edina receive treatment. On March 20th, surgeons at PIH will perform a thyroidectomy to relieve her symptoms and help her resume her vegetable business at full capacity. Now, Edina needs help to fund this $1,015 procedure. Edina says, “I feel so fortunate to get the opportunity for support. Thank you so much, I believe surgery will help me get back to normal life."

Faith is a 24-year-old woman from the Rift valley in Kenya who has had epilepsy since 2018. On December 15th, 2023 she had a convulsive episode and fell on an open flame in her kitchen. She sustained third degree burns on her right arm and was rushed to the nearest hospital. She was admitted for three days and received IV fluids, pain medication, and wound care before going home. Since her injuries did not improve, she went to Kapsowar Hospital and was diagnosed with third degree burns from her right elbow to her hand. She had no sensation in her forearm and fingers, no range of motion of the wrist and elbow, and was experiencing discharge and swelling. She also had exposed tendons and blood clots. Faith was scheduled for a procedure to remove the dead tissue from her arm, then for amputation of her second, third, fourth and fifth fingers in order to salvage the hand. At this point, it was determined she needed a further procedure and skin graft of her arm, along with major reconstruction in order to promote healing. Faith is the youngest in a family of six children. She could not finish her schooling due her epilepsy. Her parents are farmers working on two acres of land growing maize, beans and potatoes to provide for the needs of their children. Faith is not insured since she is over age and not covered by parents’ insurance. Her parents are unable to afford Faith's surgery and they thought she would be covered by the insurance. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,089 to fund Faith's surgery. Faith said, “I have been in a lot of pain especially when having daily dressing changes, please help me so that I get well soon and be free from this pain.”