Phat is a 44-year-old hospital janitor living in Cambodia. She was widowed ten years ago after her husband died in a motorbike accident. Since his death, Phat has focused on working and caring for their three children. Six years ago, Phat developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her to experience itchiness, tearing, and impaired vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur because of excessive exposure to the sun, which damages the conjunctiva, causing cells to grow abnormally over the pupil. Phat came to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for help. On May 2nd, she will undergo a surgical procedure at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, during which the abnormal conjunctiva will be removed and replaced with a conjunctival graft, which should prevent a recurrence of this condition. The total cost of her procedure- including medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days- is $225, and Phat needs your help to fund this money. Phat said: "I hope after surgery I [will] feel happy and I don’t worry anymore, and I can go back to my job."

Hok is a 27-year-old mother of two from Cambodia who lives in a rural province with her husband and sons. Her husband is a fisherman, and Hok stays home to care for their young children. She loves music, especially traditional Cambodian songs, and enjoys sewing clothing for herself and her children. Hok has had a recurring ear infection since she was five years old. The infection has caused a cholesteatoma- an abnormal skin growth- to develop in the middle ear behind her eardrum, leading to ear discharge, hearing loss, and tinnitus. Hok has difficulty hearing and is sometimes embarrassed to go out because of the pus from her ear. Hok traveled to our medical partners at the Children's Surgical Centre to receive treatment. On March 6th, she will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in her left ear during which ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. CSC is requesting $926 to cover the procedure, medications, supplies, and inpatient care. Hok said, "I'm tired of having this my whole life. I want surgery to help my hearing and I want to be able to sleep without the ringing noise."

Meet Leah, a joyful 43-year-old woman from Kenya. She is married with three children. Leah and her husband work casual labor jobs to provide for their family. She has been experiencing worrisome thyroid symptoms for four years. She visited our medical partner’s care center previously for a thyroidectomy. Following the procedure, a pathology test showed signs of a hurthle cell carcinoma, a malignant tumor on the thyroid gland. The surgeons advised that Leah undergo a complete thyroidectomy to prevent any other issues from arising. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Leah receive the treatment she needs to finally heal. On February 27th, she will undergo a full thyroidectomy at AMH’s care center. AMH is requesting $936 to fund this procedure, and Leah and her family are requesting assistance with the cost of her care. Leah shared: “I underwent my first procedure successfully, and I thank God that I know early that the tumor is malignant. Kindly help me undergo my second procedure so that I may be able to live without problems in the future.”