Srey Neang is a playful 4-year-old from Cambodia. She has one sister and lives with her grandma while her mother works a few hours away in a factory. A few of Srey Neang's favorite things include playing with toys, eating fried eggs with rice, and exploring her village with her grandma! Around two months ago, Srey Neang's grandma noticed that her nose was always red and bothering her. The doctors found a foreign object stuck deep inside her nose. Srey Neang is currently experiencing discomfort, redness, and difficulty breathing through her nose as a result. Her family brought her to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment; on March 13th, surgeons will remove the mass. Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), our medical partner, is requesting $273 to fund this procedure. Srey Neang's family contributed $50 to her care. Her grandma said: "I hope my granddaughter feels better and she can breathe easily again."

David is a 17-year-old from Kenya. He is the oldest child of six, and his parents work on their neighbors' farms to provide income for the family's basic needs. Their home was constructed by volunteers and their church. David's family shared that they do not have national health insurance coverage and are requesting assistance for David's medical care. A few months after David was born, he started experiencing fevers and an increasing head circumference. David's family brought him to different hospitals for treatment, but his symptoms did not improve. When David was three, he was referred to our medical partner's hospital, where he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and underwent shunt insertion surgery. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. Everything was stable following David's surgery until last month when David began experiencing signs of shunt failure. David's doctor recommends EVT/CPC surgery to address the shunt failure as soon as possible. On March 16th, David will undergo surgery to drain the excess fluid from his brain and reduce intracranial pressure. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $720 to cover the surgery cost. With proper treatment, David can continue to develop into a strong, healthy young man. David's father said: "I do not feel well when he is not in good health because it makes it hard for us to leave him with anyone for us to work and provide for the family."

Douby is a 17 year old student, living with his Godmother and her family in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Douby enjoys going to school, and aspires to attain a PhD in agronomy, and to become a professor. As a result of rheumatic fever that he suffered as a child, Douby has a cardiac condition called rheumatic mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. Two of his four heart valves were severely damaged by the rheumatic fever, and his heart cannot adequately pump blood through his body, leaving him sick and short of breath. The care Douby needs is not available in Haiti so he urgently will fly to the United States to receive treatment on February 28th at Baylor Scott & White Heart Hospital. He will undergo emergency cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will attempt to repair both damaged valves; if the valves cannot be repaired, they will be removed, and artificial valves will be implanted in their place. While another organization, Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital, is contributing $20,000.00 to help pay for Douby's surgery, our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to cover the costs for the surgery prep and transport support, including lab tests; medicines, and follow up appointments. The money will alsosupport the passport and travel expenses for the social workers that will accompany Douby and his family to the U.S. Douby was able to share: "I am looking forward to being stronger and healthier once my heart can be repaired!"

Nang is a 40-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband and son in a camp for people who are internally displaced due to conflict in her country. Her husband is a day laborer, while she looks after their son at home. A few years ago, Nang accidentally cut off her left index and middle finger while chopping wood. Unable to afford a hospital or clinic, she wrapped her injury in a cloth and tried to treat herself with traditional medicine. Over time, the wound became infected, and the infection spread up her hand. She later had her arm amputated below her left elbow at the IDP camp clinic. However, the wound never healed fully and became re-infected. Doctors want Nang to undergo an MRI, a scan which will hopefully help doctors fully diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $814 to cover the cost of Nang's MRI and care, scheduled for March 6th. She said, “I feel sad about my condition. I am looking forward to getting treatment or surgery at the Hospital. I would like to thank the organization BCMF as I am happy to have the opportunity to receive treatment for my wound."

Emmanuel is a 39-year-old father of two from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He lives with his wife and children and works in sales at an electronics store. He has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect. There is a hole between the two upper chambers of his heart, which causes blood to leak out without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him weak and short of breath. Because the care he needs is not available in Haiti, Emmanuel will fly to the United States to undergo cardiac surgery on February 27th. Doctors will sew a patch over the hole in his heart so that blood can no longer leak through it. Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital is contributing $10,000 to help pay for this surgery. His family now needs $1,500 to help fund costs of the surgery preparations, including labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments, and travel expenses. Our medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance will accompany Emmanuel overseas and ensure he safely undergoes treatment. Emmanuel says, "I am excited for this surgery so that I can focus on taking care of my family without worrying about my health."

Esther, who is five years old, lives in a remote area of Tanzania, primarily populated by the Maasai people. Esther's parents rely on cattle breeding for income to support their family, but due to changing climate, there is increasingly insufficient pasture land to keep the cattle from starving. Esther has also been unwell for quite some time, and after seeking both spiritual and medical help, Esther's parents decided to relocate her, so that she now lives in the city with her grandmother. Esther was diagnosed with genu varus, or bow legs, a condition commonly caused by excessive fluoride in the bones, a result of ingesting contaminated drinking water. Her legs bow outward, making it difficult for her to walk. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery for Esther. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 6th, at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Treatment will hopefully restore Esther's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Esther’s grandmother says: “Esther is now a happy girl, I wish for her legs to be normal so that she doesn’t have to suffer in the future.”

Meet Night, a jovial and playful five year old girl. Night lives with her parents and two younger siblings in a traditional home in Kenya. Her father works selling second hand clothing, while her mother stays home to take care of the children. Shortly after she was born, Night's parents realized that something seemed wrong. They brought Night to a health facility in Turkana County where they lived, and were referred on to BethanyKids Hospital. There she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which meant that fluid was collecting in her head. Surgery was performed, and a shunt was placed to continuously drain the fluid from Night's head. A year later, however, Night's head began to increase in size, and she developed weakness on the right side of her body. The doctors at the local health facility urged Night's parents to take her back to BethanyKids Hospital for additional treatment, but Night's parents didn't have enough money to do this. With the help of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Night is now scheduled to undergo a craniotomy on January 5th at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital, when surgeons will drain excess fluids from Night's brain. Night's father is providing as much of a co-pay as possible for this procedure, but the family needs your help to raise the remaining $1,500 required to cover all of the costs of Night's surgery and care. Night’s father said: “Night is not able to communicate well because of her condition. This surgery will help her to be able to speak.”