Both is a 23-month-old boy from Cambodia. He lives in Phnom Penh with his parents and is their only child. His father is an electrician and his mother works as a chef in a restaurant. He enjoys playing with toy cars and balls, and likes eating soup and mangoes. Both was born with polydactyly of both hands. This means that he has an extra thumb on both hands (bilateral thumb polydactyly). The condition affects his ability to grasp and hold objects properly. His parents are concerned that it may also affect his hand function and self-confidence as he grows older. Fortunately, on May 19th, surgeons will perform a polydactyly repair procedure to remove the extra digit. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $379 to fund this procedure. After surgery, the extra thumbs will be removed, improving hand function and allowing more normal grasping, development, and daily hand activities. His father said, “I hope my son can use his hands normally and grow up with confidence, without feeling shy about his appearance.”

Chanthy is a 35-year-old father and excavator driver from Cambodia. He is married and lives in Kampong Thom province with his wife and their three children. His eldest child is in Grade 7, his second child is in Grade 3, and their youngest is just one month old. His wife stays at home to manage the household and care for the children, but the family faces many challenges and struggles to make ends meet, especially with a newborn to look after. In his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball with friends in the village. Three days ago, Chanthy had an accident when an excavator rolled over his leg as he was helping his neighbor whose truck was stuck in the mud. He has a severe wound on his left lower leg, is experiencing intense pain, and is unable to walk, which makes it difficult for him to care for himself and support his family. When Chanthy learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On March 17th, surgeons at CSC will perform a debridement procedure to to remove damaged and infected tissue from the wound, reduce pain, and restore his ability to walk and use his leg normally. Chanthy can contribute $50, but needs help raising $367 more to fund his procedure and care. Chanthy said, “The pain is so strong that I can’t walk, and it has been very hard for me and my family. I hope that with this treatment, my leg will heal so I can stand and take care of my children again.”

Edson is a five-year-old boy from Haiti. He lives with his parents and older sister in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, where his parents work as vendors. Edson is in preschool, likes arts and crafts, and has been learning to read. Edson has a cardiac condition that involves several related congenital conditions, including a hole between the two lower chambers of the heart and a muscular blockage of one of the valves. These defects prevent blood from circulating normally through the heart and from passing through the lungs to obtain enough oxygen. Edson needs to fly to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On April 6th, surgeons will sew a patch over the hole in his heart and remove the muscular blockage from the valve. Our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, has raised $6,500 to assist in paying for surgery. Edson's family needs help funding the costs of surgical preparation. He needs help raising $1,500 to cover labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It also supports securing travel documents for the family and travel costs for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Edson's family overseas. Edson's mother shared, "Our family is hopeful that after this surgery, our son's health will finally be completely normal!"