Lydia finished high school last year and has dreams of attending university, but she started experiencing some pain in her abdomen last December. She experienced the pain for one month before going to the hospital for an examination. After an abdomen CT scan, Lydia was diagnosed with Cystic liver disease. She was booked for surgery after the family raised enough money through fundraising. During the surgery, Lydia experienced complications when anesthesia was being administered and the surgery had to be cancelled. She was admitted to the ICU for a few days, recovered, and was discharged, but all the money her family raised was used to pay the hospital bill, and the family had to get a loan to clear the bill. While at home, Lydia recovered well, and during the last clinic review, she was finally ready for liver surgery. Their family has completely exhausted their funds and is appealing for any financial help to facilitate their daughter's treatment, hoping that after her complete healing, she can pursue her dreams. Lydia shared, “I really want to be helpful at home and maybe get a job to help my family but I can’t. This condition is very painful. I hope I will be treated soon enough and recover well.”

Festo is a 3-year-old boy and the seventh child in his family of eight. His family resides in a remote village called Itenka in the Mpanda district. Both of his parents engage in small-scale farming, earning just enough to cover their daily expenses. However, with the older children attending school, the parents are doing their best to manage both educational expenses and other day-to-day needs. During the initial stages of learning how to walk, Festo's parents noticed that he displayed signs of bowed legs. Initially, they attributed it to his newly acquired walking skills and assumed that his bones were not strong enough. However, at age of two, he was diagnosed with bilateral varus, characterized by bilateral knocking of the knees, which significantly hinders his ability to move around comfortably. Festo quickly becomes fatigued and experiences pain while attempting to walk. Furthermore, his overall health has been unstable, largely due to malnutrition. Fortunately, our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) can help. Festo is scheduled for corrective surgery on August 1st, and AMH is requesting $880 to fund the procedure. Treatment will hopefully restore Festo's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Festo’s mother shared, “I hope my boy to grow older free from any kind of disability. I hope he gets the right treatment that will make it possible to have a good life in the future.”

Meet 18 year old Rathanak: He lives with his family in Kampong Chhnang province in Cambodia. His parents are rice farmers, while his older brother works in construction. Rathanak is in 11th grade at the local public school. In April 2023, a motorbike crashed into Rathanak from behind, during the revelries of the Khmer New Year. He was taken to a local hospital, where an X-ray revealed that his right hip had been dislocated. He underwent a closed hip reduction, and was sent home. Since then, Rathanak has had to walk on his tiptoes, because one leg is longer than the other. He went for a second consultation at a government hospital in Phnom Penh, but could not afford the treatment that was proposed. Now, in addition to limping badly, he has pain, which has prevented him from attending school. One of the doctors referred Rathanak to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, where a consultation and additional X-ray revealed a persistent anterior hip dislocation. CSC surgeons plan to do an anterior reduction on August 8th, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. Rathanak and his family need your help to cover the $485 cost of the procedure, the medications, physiotherapy and the hospital stay. Rathanak said: "My wish is to walk normally again so I can return to school and have no pain."