Mcdonald is a 66-year-old father and grandfather from Malawi. He and his wife live in a small village, where they depend on farming maize and groundnuts for their livelihood. Farming has always been an important part of their lives, but his illness has gradually made it difficult for him to continue working in the fields. Six years ago, Mcdonald started experiencing uncomfortable symptoms, and a reliance on the catheter. As his health progressively worsened, he could no longer work on the farm, leaving his younger sister to help with the farming. McDonald and his family decided to seek a lasting solution for his condition. He was advised to seek care at Nkhoma Mission Hospital, a journey that took 5 hours. At the hospital, Mcdonald was diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Physicians at Nkhoma Hospital determined that Mcdonald should undergo a prostatectomy, a surgery to remove part or all of the prostate. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $530 to fund this procedure. The treatment is scheduled to take place at Nkhoma Hospital on September 9th and, once completed, it will hopefully improve Mcdonald's quality of life. McDonald said, “I am hoping that with the surgery treatment, I can finally be free from the catheter and return to the life I had before. I want to go back to my farm, work again with my wife, and enjoy my family without constantly worrying about my health.”

Beyene is a 65-year-old farmer from Ethiopia. He works the land alongside his wife. Together they are raising six children, four boys and two girls, all of whom are still in school. Three years ago, Beyene started to experience troubling symptoms, which worsened over time. The symptoms affected his ability to relieve himself, disrupted his daily life, and his sleep. He was diagnosed with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate gland. Physicians at our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, determined that Beyene should undergo surgery. He is scheduled for surgery on October 20th and needs help raising $900 to fund his procedure and care. Once completed, the treatment will improve Beyene's quality of life. Beyene shared, "I want to sleep through the night, drink water without fear, and visit my friends and family again without worrying about the night."

Ester is a 13-year-old student from Burma. She lives with her parents, her younger brother, and two younger sisters in a village in Karen State, Burma. Ester and her three younger siblings go to school while their parents are small-scale farmers. They also raise chickens and pigs, and they forage for vegetables in the forest for their own consumption. They also have a small garden where they grow betel nut trees, and they sell some of the betel nuts to earn a small income. Sometimes, Ester’s father also finds work as an agricultural day laborer. In her free time, Ester loves to help her mother with household chores and also play with her friends at school. She wants to become a teacher when she grows up. Ester was born with an atrial septal defect (ASD), a condition in which a hole exists between the two upper chambers of the heart. Sometimes ASDs may close on their own during development, but sometimes this condition requires surgery to repair the hole and prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Ester is scheduled to undergo heart surgery on July 7th to correct her condition and improve her quality of life. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to help cover the cost of Ester's procedure and care. Ester's mother shared, "I would like to thank BCMF and your donors for your kindness and willingness to support my daughter. Without you, my daughter would not receive treatment as the cost is too high for us, and we cannot borrow such a large amount of money from our neighbours. On behalf of our family and our daughter, thank you to your donors and everyone willing to help my daughter.”