Yesica is an 8-year-old girl who lives with her parents and 2 younger brothers in a mining city high in the mountains of central Bolivia. Her father works in construction, and her mother is a homemaker. Yesica is in second grade and loves attending school and learning about science. Yesica was born with a cardiac condition called patent ductus arteriosus, in which a hole exists between two major blood vessels near the heart. Blood leaks through this hole, leaving her weak and short of breath. Yesica needs surgery to heal this condition. Fortunately, our medical partner International Cardiac Alliance (ICA) can help. Yesica is scheduled for cardiac surgery on October 11th, during which doctors will sew the hole closed so that blood can no longer leak through it. After surgery, she will be able to be more active and grow up to be a strong young woman. Yesica's family and ICA need help raising $1,500 to fund the procedure and her follow-up medical care. Her mother shared, "Our family is very hopeful that Yesica will be stronger and healthier after her surgery."

Saw resides in a refugee camp along the Thai-Burma Border with his wife, two daughters, and son-in-law. His wife is a homemaker, and Saw stopped working as a day laborer due to his worsening health. He is proud of his family: One of his daughters is a student, the other is a pharmacist, and his son-in-law is a medic at the camp's hospital. He likes to forage for vegetables in his free time. Saw has been diagnosed with a right irreducible inguinal hernia and is scheduled to undergo hernia repair surgery in October. This surgery is essential to relieve his pain and discomfort and improve his overall quality of life. Saw said, “I want this discomfort and pain to disappear. I cannot do anything because of the pain. I hope that after surgery, I will be able to have a normal life again and will no longer be in any discomfort.”

Samrong is a sweet, clever six-year-old from Cambodia. He is the oldest child and has one younger brother. His father is a fisherman, and his mother works in the local factory. Samrong is in the first grade, where he enjoys learning about Khmer literature in school, and he would like to be a policeman when he grows up. Samrong was born with syndactyly of his right hand. This means that several fingers of his right hand are webbed, and there is often a fusion of the bones in his finger. As a result, he has difficulty with fine motor skills, like writing with a pencil or holding objects, and his parents are concerned he won't be able to keep up in school. On November 2nd, surgeons at our medical partner will perform a syndactyly repair procedure to separate and release the fused digits, allowing Samrong to use his hand easily. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is requesting $444 to fund this procedure. Samrong's parents contributed $100 to his care. His mother shared: "After surgery, we hope Samrong's fingers will look like other children's, and he can use his hand well."