Lea is a 46-year-old small-scale businesswoman from Malawi. She has two children aged 15 and 10. Lea sells tomatoes, while her husband is a primary school teacher. Seven years ago, Lea began to experience troubling symptoms, including breathlessness during sleep, walking, and climbing stairs, and was unable to carry items on her head. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland. The thyroid is the gland located in front of your neck and produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for functions such as metabolism, growth, and other bodily functions. This January, things worsened when Lea started experiencing frequent choking after eating. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Lea receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on June 8th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $1,015, and she and her family need help raising money. Lea said, "Kindly help me get out of this mess; I am in trouble, and I am not ready to choke to death one day and leave my children alone."

Dah is a 52-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and a son in the village in Karen State, Burma. Dah and her husband work as agricultural day laborers. Currently, Dah experiences back pain while sitting for long periods. She was diagnosed with gallstones and has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, Dah's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Dah is scheduled to undergo her cholecystectomy on June 25th. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Dah's procedure and care. Dah said, “We do not have work every day. If there is work available but I have back and stomach pain, I cannot work, so we do not have income for the day that I did not get to work. I wish I could get the surgery and be free from this pain, but I do not have the money. Thank you so much for helping me. Without your help, I had decided that I would just stay with the stone inside me for the rest of my life.”

Medekse is a mother of five from Ethiopia. She is a widow and lives in a busy home with her five grown children—her two sons and three daughters. They all live together so they can take turns looking after her, cooking her meals, and making sure she is safe. Four years ago, Medekse developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her reduced vision and cloudy vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, blurring vision. Because she cannot see well, simple tasks and moving around her own home have become very difficult. For a woman who spent her life being independent, it is hard to accept that she now must rely on her children for daily help. She is currently trying her best to adapt, searching for a balance between her desire to do things on her own and her need for her family's support. Fortunately, on July 15th, Medekse is scheduled to undergo cataract surgery with the help of our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital. Surgeons will remove and replace the blurred lens. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to raise $150 to fund this procedure. Medekse shared, "I hope to spend my later years moving around easily, seeing clearly, and living comfortably." After a lifetime of leading and caring for her family, she has earned the right to keep her independence and live on her own terms.