Setta is a 17-year-old student from Cambodia who lives with her mother, who works as a hairdresser from home. Setta is in the 11th grade and wants to be a teacher when she gets older. When she is at home, she enjoys eating bitter melon fried with rice, and often helps her mother with housework. Setta was born with idiopathic scoliosis, or an abnormal sideways "S" curvature of the spine. Her mom brought her to a public hospital, where she underwent a number of treatments for her condition. However, over the past five years, she has experienced back pain when walking for more than 20 minutes and the pain makes it difficult for her to sit comfortably in class. More recently, she has noticed difficulty breathing due to her rib cage pressing on her lungs. She also occasionally feels numbness in her legs from her vertebrae pressing on nerves. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Setta receive treatment. On September 3rd, specialty surgeons at CSC will perform a scoliosis spinal fusion surgery to correct Setta's spinal curvature and improve her health and quality of life. This surgery will relieve her chronic pain and allow her to breathe better, walk, sit, and study at school comfortably. Setta's mother can afford to contribute $100 toward her daughter's care. Now, she and her mother need help raising the remaining $1,400 to fund the surgery, hospitalization, implants, medication, and physiotherapy. Setta shared, "I hope after my operation, my spine will be straight. I want to walk with my friends and not have a hard time breathing, work to support myself when I am done with school, and not be ashamed of my back."

Leav An is a three-year-old boy who lives near the border of Vietnam with his mother, his older brother, and two cousins. His mother is a homemaker, while his father and his cousins' parents work in Thailand. Leav An's brother and cousins are all in secondary school. His mother shared that Leav An likes to drink milk and loves playing with toy cars. Leav An was born with a condition called Cerebral Venous Thrombosis (CVT). CVT is a rare type of stroke in children and newborns that occurs when a blood clot forms in the brain's venous sinuses, preventing blood from draining properly. The condition has caused an impairment on his right ankle, and muscle weakness in both legs. Leav An is able to stand with support, but his mobility is restricted and he is unable to walk unaided. He also experiences difficulty in speaking, and needs assistance for most of his daily activities. Leav An and his mother were told by a relative about our medical partner's care center, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). They traveled for three hours to seek consultation and treatment. On July 18th, surgeons will perform a tenotomy and open reduction of the right ankle to improve the function and mobility of Leav An's ankle. Now, the family needs help to fund the $572 needed for the surgery and physiotherapy. Leav An's mother says: "I hope that as my son grows, he will regain the strength and mobility needed to stand and walk with ease."

Eight-year-old Mi lives with her mother, younger brother, and younger sister in Shan State in Burma. Because Mi's parents are divorced, the family survives on income generated from the sale of the vegetables that Mi's mother grows on her land. When this income proves insufficient for the family's needs, Mi's mother borrows money from a friend. When Mi was two years old, she developed a fever, difficulty breathing, and a swollen neck. Her mother took her to a local hospital, where the doctor examined her neck, and suggested that Mi's mother take her to Chiang Rai Hospital in Thailand. At the hospital, various tests were performed, and doctors found a cyst in Mi's neck. The cyst was removed, and for a while, Mi felt better. However, the cyst returned in December 2023. As a result of her parent's divorce, the family moved away from the facility where she had been receiving treatment, and Mi had to live with the pain from the new cyst until she was able to meet with doctors from our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Now Mi is scheduled for mass excision surgery on September 19th, at our medical partner's care center, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, and the family is looking for help to raise $1,500 for Mi's procedure. Mi's mother said: “I feel very sad and worried about my daughter’s condition. I cannot sleep due to stress and depression because I couldn’t afford to cover my daughter’s treatment. I want to see my daughter recover quickly. When I learned that donors would pay for my daughter’s surgery treatment, I felt very happy. Thank you to all donors and BCMF. When my daughter recovers fully, I will work hard so I can put her to school."