Mary is a catholic nun from Uganda. Mary came with complaints of pain around her scapular area, which has been quite uncomfortable. She has been in and out of the hospital with the same challenge but has not been successfully treated. She came to our facility and was diagnosed with suprascapular lipoma, which requires surgery. Mary is not able to raise the funds needed for the surgery. She has 8 siblings and being the firstborn child, she bears some of the burdens of educating her younger siblings. She is not able to consolidate a sufficient amount of money to meet the cost of surgery and so appeals for financial assistance.  On January 22nd, surgeons will remove the mass. Now, Mary needs help to raise $187 to fund this procedure. Mary says, “I hope to get fine after my surgery!”

Lawi is a student from Kenya. He is the 5th born child in a family of six. He was born and raised in a small village called Mogil where most of the inhabitants work in farms or other unstable jobs. His parents are uneducated so they don’t speak Kiswahili. The family live in small mud hut with grass as a roof. His family gets its food from their small farm and consists mostly of millet, sorghum and seasonal fruits like mango. Lawi likes to spend his days climbing trees. Lawi was well until Sunday noon when he fell from a mango tree. Lawi sustained multiple severe injuries on his left leg and hand. He was rushed to our hospital accompanied by his father and on arrival an X-Ray was done where he was diagnosed with multiple fractures. He is in severe pain and is having a difficult time sleeping because of the fractures. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On November 7th, Lawi will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This treatment will help Lawi heal well with no malunion and he will no longer be in pain Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $968 to fund this procedure. His father says, “I just want my child not to be in pain anymore and be healthy and happy and have a good life.”

Zin is a 37-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband, son and two daughters in Myawaddy, Karen State. Her 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter go to school while her youngest daughter stays home as she is still very young. To make a living, Zin used to make different Burmese snacks and sell them at the nearby villages. But she recently stopped working due to her health condition. Sometimes, her husband works as a day labourer but Zin said she does not know how much he earns from that. Six months ago, Zin started to experience stomach-ache so she went to a clinic. The doctor there did not do any investigations, instead, just prescribed her oral medication. Although Zin felt better with the medications she received at the clinic, her symptom returned after two months and she went back to see the same doctor. The doctor again prescribed her medications, but they only relieved her symptoms for a short time. In early September, Zin felt like her stomach-ache has worsened. She had it more often and the medications that she received at the clinic did not help her anymore. On 12 September 2019, Zin had a severe stomach-ache and for the last time, she returned to see the same doctor. On this visit, the doctor performed an ultrasound and said that there are stones in her common bile duct (CBD), a duct that carries bile from the gallbladder and liver into the duodenum (upper part of the small intestine). Zin has been advised to undergo a biliary obstruction repair, a procedure to repair the blockage of the bile ducts, which carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. If left untreated, Zin'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), Zin is scheduled to undergo her biliary obstruction repair on October 03. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Zin's procedure and care. Zin said, “I cannot do anything now. I want to get well soon and start working again. If not, my family will not have enough food”.