Chanthoeun is a 35-year-old welder from Cambodia. He is married and has a 15-year-old daughter in grade 10 at a public school. His wife is a garment worker. In his free time, he enjoys listening to the news on the radio and watching boxing on TV. In September 2022, Chanthoeun was in a motorcycle accident on his way home from work and fractured two major bones in his left lower leg. Because he did not have enough money, he went to a Khmer traditional healer, but his leg became infected. His leg is red and swollen, and it is very painful. He has an open wound on his shin, is unable to walk, and must use a wheelchair. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On November 1st, Chanthoeun will undergo a fracture repair procedure, which will cost $483. A debridement of the dead skin and an external frame to stabilize the broken bones will support the mending of his fractures. Doctors hope this will help him walk again. Chanthoeun said: "After surgery, I hope my leg will be better, I will be free of pain, and I can return to work to support my family."

Mark is a primary school student in a special need school in Nairobi. Mark wears a broad smile and is feeling proud to take his photo and share his story. Mark is the firstborn in a family of two children. Mark's parents are both hawkers at a local market in Githurai. His father sells second-hand shoes famously known as Mitumba and his mother sells t-shirts at the same market. This work results in inconsistent income for their family. Mark has a fracture and dislocation of the shoulder joint and the upper part of the bone of the arm (humerus). As a result of his disability, Mark is unable to communicate the cause of the injury, but his mother suspects he fell a couple weeks ago and injured himself. Mark is unable to use his arm and hand as a result of the fracture. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On October 5th, Mark will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him heal well and he will be able to use his arm and hand again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mark's family raise $1,500 to fund this procedure. Mark's mother shared, “Mark is struggling to use his hand. He is in constant pain and it is written all over his face. Normally, he is a jovial kid but the pain is making him frown constantly.”

Jonathan is a courageous fire officer from the Philippines. He lives with and helps support his siblings and elderly mother. He works to provide their family's sole income. Last month, Jonathan began to experience pain and other troubling symptoms that caused him to seek medical attention. He was diagnosed with mixed hemorrhoids, or a combination of internal and external hemorrhoids. This condition causes the veins of the lower rectum to become swollen. He requires surgery to prevent his symptoms from getting worse. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Jonathan receive treatment. He is scheduled to undergo a hemorrhoidectomy on August 20th at WSFP's care center. During this procedure, surgeons will remove his hemorrhoids. A portion of the cost of his treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is raising the remaining $1,137 to cover the cost of Jonathan's procedure and care. Jonathan shares, "This disease hinders me from doing my job. I'm the only one who works in our family. If I can't work, I won't be able to provide for our needs, so this surgery is a big help for me. To Watsi and World Surgical Foundation Philippines, thank you so much for your kind hearts. May you not get tired of helping the needy."

Sreyroth is a bright five-year-old girl from Cambodia. She is the only child in her family and lives with her parents and grandmother. Her mother works as a cleaner, and her father works as a mechanic. She attends school near her home and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Two of her favorite foods are ice cream and chicken soup! Sreyroth began experiencing ear pain, ear swelling, and a fever recently. Her mother suspects that she put an object in her ear, but when she asked Sreyroth what it was, she did not say. Sreyroth and her family traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On July 14th, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, will remove the foreign object. Now, Sreyroth and her family need help raising $273 to fund this procedure. Sreyroth's mother says, "I hope my daughter will be comfortable after the object is removed."

Oun is a 62-year-old rice farmer, living with her husband and oldest daughter. Oun and her husband have two daughters, two sons and four grandchildren. When not working or helping to care for the grandchildren, Oun enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio. Two years ago, Oun developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her blurry vision and eye discomfort in bright or low light. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and she is worried about falling when walking, so she is reluctant to go places on her own. When Oun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for five and a half hours to seek treatment. On June 6th, doctors at Kien Khleang Rehabilitation Centre will perform cataract surgery, and implant an intraocular lens in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly again. Children's Surgical Center is requesting $253 to fund this procedure. Oun says: "I hope after surgery my eye will be better. I want to be able to go outside, recognize faces, and plant rice."

Ko Kyaw lives with his wife and two daughters in the border region of Tak Province in Thailand. He is a homemaker while his wife works as a day laborer. He plans to send his older daughter to a Thai school in the new school year, but his younger daughter is still too young to go to school. In early 2021, Kyaw was still living in his village in Myawaddy Township in Burma but it has been a very challenging time for his community ever since the military coup. He and his wife were injured in an emergency involving the local soldiers who came to their area. Luckily other villagers came to their rescue and Kyaw was treated for fractures on both his upper and lower leg, where a metal rod was inserted to help him heal. Now the bone in his thigh is misshapen and doctors have diagnosed osteomyelitis (infected bone). His doctor told him that in order to heal, he would need to have the metal rods replaced in both his upper and lower leg. Currently, Kyaw’s left leg is in a lot of pain. He can only bend his leg slightly and needs to use crutches to get around. With his leg in pain, Ko Kyaw spends most of his time helping out with household chores he can do and teaching his oldest daughter how to read and write in Burmese. He feels frustrated that since his leg was broken, he cannot support his family. Our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund is helping to pay the cost of his treatment and is raising $1500 to cover his surgery, which will take place on May 10th. “I feel upset that I cannot support my family as the head of the house,” he said. “We only have my wife’s income. We do not have our own house to live in. I want to say a lot of things but I cannot express what I want to say. I never thought that I would lose my house, my possessions and that my leg would be in pain.”

Stefano is a 5-year-old child from Tanzania. Stefano’s parents are small-scale farmers and livestock keepers. They are not able to afford their son’s treatment costs thus they are asking for help. When we first met Stefano he was having difficulty walking and it was challenging for him to do day-to-day tasks. He looked tired despite being carried on her mother’s back. Stefano has needed support from the hospital to get healthy enough for surgery and has been receiving care since last November. He now is healthy enough to undergo surgery for his leg condition. Stefano was diagnosed with windswept deformity. His legs bow so that the knees appear windswept. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, he has a difficult time walking and experiences pain. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Stefano. The procedure is scheduled to take place on April 22nd. Treatment will hopefully restore Stefano's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Stefano’s mother shared in her language, “Mchugaji alituambia tunaweza kupata msaada wa matibabu kwa ajili yam toto wetu hapa.” Meaning: "The pastor told us our son could get treatment help from here."

Vicheka is the eldest of two children in her family and loves her younger sister who is three years old. Their family lives in Preah Vihear near the Thai border of Cambodia. Her father is a soldier and her mother is a potato farmer. At school, she is fond of math and Khmer literature and would like to be a teacher when she is older. She likes reading books, painting, playing with her little sister, and taking walks with her parents. When Vicheka was five, she was diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine—a sideways curvature of the spine that most often is diagnosed in adolescents. She has uneven shoulders, a bump in her lower back, difficulty standing up straight, and shortness of breath. It has become difficult for her to breathe, she tires easily, and she is having difficulty walking. This can be very difficult for young girls, they are often hidden at home because other children make fun of the way they look. A neighbor told her parents about our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre, so they traveled over 10 hours for a diagnosis and surgery. Surgeons plan to put in expanding rods along her spine. The expanding rods will allow her to grow and keep her spine from curving further, which could cause her more health problems if left untreated. Their family needs $1,500 for the surgery, which will cover medications, implants, and post-operative care. Vicheka said, "I hope the doctors can fix my spine so I can play with my friends and my back will be straight. I want to continue in school but it is hard for me to keep up, and I miss school."

Jane is a 49-year-old woman and a mother to three children between 23 and 27 years of age. Her husband works as a casual laborer, tending to farms to make a living. One of her sons is in college, while her other children do not currently have jobs. Their family lives on a shared piece of land in their ancestral home. Since early 2020, Jane has been experiencing constant bleeding. In March 2021, her symptoms worsened and she visited a government hospital for further evaluation. She had a cervical biopsy and was diagnosed with stage IA cervical cancer. Her doctors have recommended a hysterectomy, or a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus, to prevent the cancer from spreading. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Jane receive treatment. On December 17th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at AMH's care center. Once recovered, Jane will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Now, Jane needs help raising $1,260 to fund her procedure and care. Jane shared, "I hear this cancer spreads if not treated. I am scared and in fear that it will spread and affect other body parts. This disease has to be stopped soon."

Melvin is a four-year-old girl. She has a twin brother and lives with her grandmother and her father. Her father works finding jobs wherever he can to support their family. Melvin was born with a condition which is known as genu varum, or bowleggedness. She has had examinations at different hospitals but, unfortunately, her condition has worsened. Currently, she is unable to walk, run, or play with her friends. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Melvin receive treatment. On November 22nd, she is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery at AMH's care center. After surgery, she will be able to walk well, play with her friends, and enroll in school. Now, she and her family need help raising $1,224 to fund her procedure and care. Melvin's grandmother shared, "I would love to see my granddaughter walking well like other children. Please support us."

Chhanna is a 29-year-old restaurant employee but recently hasn't been able to work because of an injury. His wife works a rice farmer and they have a daughter who is three years old and a son who is six months old. In May 2021, Chhanna got into a car accident where he fractured his clavicle causing paralysis of his right shoulder. After the accident, he underwent an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure at a local hospital to treat the fracture. However, he is still unable to move his right arm and he has been diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury on his right side. The brachial plexus is a nerve network that transmits signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries to this nerve network can result in loss of function and sensation. He is unable to lift his shoulder and he cannot work. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Chhanna receive treatment. On October 18th, he will undergo a brachial plexus repair surgery at CSC's care center. After recovery, he will be able to use his right arm again. Now, he needs help raising $696 to fund his procedure and care. Chhanna shared, "I hope I can move my arm easily again so I can get back to work and support my family."