Ester is a small-scale farmer and 38-year-old mother of 3 school-aged children. She is a humble and gentle person who traveled very far and waited patiently overnight for her diagnosis, after being directed to a surgical support program at the hospital due to the pain she is experiencing. She completed some school, but never got a chance to continue her education due to a lack of school fees. She does farming for a living but mostly does causal labour work in other people’s gardens to earn a side income. Her husband is a construction site porter. Ten years ago, Ester began to experience troubling symptoms, including neck swelling. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Ester receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on October 4th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money to fund it. Ester says “All my hopes of getting healed of this condition are in you because I have tried on my own and failed. Please help me with this.”

Vanna is a 38-year-old former construction worker from Cambodia. He is married and has a five-year-old son who has just started public school. His wife works in a local lamp factory. He enjoys reading the news, fishing, and playing football with friends In July of 2021, Vanna was in a motor vehicle accident in which he suffered loss of consciousness, trauma/paralysis to his right shoulder, and a fractured humerus. He had a fracture repair of his humerus done, and spent over a month in hospital. But he has also been diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury on his right side. The brachial plexus is a nerve network that transmits signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries to this nerve network can result in loss of function and sensation. Vanna has no movement of his right shoulder due to trapezius nerve damage and cannot bend his elbow or move his fingers. He is unable to work to support his young family and is in chronic pain. Vanna traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. This is the only center in the whole country where this treatment is available. On September 29th, he will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery. After recovery, he hopes to use his shoulder and arm again to find a job in construction. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $709 to fund this procedure. Vanna said: "After surgery, I hope my right shoulder will have movement, I have no pain, and can work for my family again."

Lin is a 74-year-old widow. Sadly, her husband passed away many years ago, and she has one son, one daughter, and five grandchildren. She lives with her daughter, who farms rice on their ancestral land. Lin cooks and cares for her grandchildren and likes to listen to the monks pray on the radio in the evenings. Two years ago, Lin developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she is not able to go places on her own. She feels like she has lost her independence. When Lin learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On November 14th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help raising $253 to fund her procedure and care. Lin shared, "I hope after surgery my eyesight will be better so I can recognize my family and visit the local pagoda to join in ceremonies."