Nak is a 59-year-old man from Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. He lives with his wife and their two school-aged children. He and his wife earn a living by making traditional Khmer woven mats. Although they work hard to support their family, their income is limited. In 1990, Nak lost his right leg below the knee after a landmine accident. He adapted to life with a prosthetic leg, but over the past year, he developed a chronic wound at the amputation stump. The wound causes pain, discharge, and stiffness, making it difficult to wear his prosthesis, work, and carry out daily activities. After learning about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, through a relative, he traveled 3.5 hours to seek treatment. On July 7th, he is scheduled to undergo a right below-knee amputation (BKA) stump revision to remove unhealthy tissue, promote healing, and improve the shape of the stump. The surgery is expected to reduce pain, allow him to wear his prosthetic leg more comfortably, and help him regain his mobility and independence. His family can contribute $50, but needs help raising $428 more to fund his procedure and care. Nak said, “I hope this surgery will heal my wound so I can wear my prosthetic leg comfortably again and move around without pain.”

Sarom is a 52-year-old widow from Cambodia, who works as a rice and vegetable farm laborer in Kandal province. Her husband passed away six years ago, and she now lives alone. She has two sons and one daughter with no grandchildren; her oldest son works as a company laborer, while her other two children are still students. In her free time, she enjoys listening to monks chanting through her phone. Five years ago, Sarom developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage, wind or dust and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Sarom learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for two hours seeking treatment. Sarom needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $298. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for August 4th. Sarom says: "After a successful surgery, I look forward to my vision greatly improving, so I can easily return to work and no longer worry about my eyes."

Hy is a 62-year-old woman from Cambodia. She lives in Kampong Cham Province with her husband. They have three adult children, all of whom are farmers and live nearby in the same village. She enjoys listening to monks' prayers in her free time. Five years ago, Hy was involved in a motorcycle accident that caused fractures of her right femur and right tibia. She underwent surgery with metal fixation at a government hospital. About one year ago, her grandchild accidentally stepped on her leg while she was sleeping, causing knee pain. She visited a hospital in Siem Reap Province, where an X-ray showed that the metal nail had broken. The broken hardware causes pain in her right leg and makes it difficult for her to walk comfortably and perform daily activities. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On July 7th, Hy will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will remove the broken hardware, perform bone grafting, and stabilize the right femur with new internal fixation. This treatment will promote bone healing, reduce pain, improve the strength of her leg, and help her walk and carry out daily activities more comfortably. Her family can contribute $37, but needs help raising $563 more to fund her procedure and care. Hy said, “My biggest wish is to be able to walk without pain again and enjoy spending time with my family without worrying about my leg.”