Sokphat is a 64-year-old woman from Cambodia. She has three sisters, all of whom are married. Sokphat is single and lives with her nephew. She manages all the housework and cooking for their household, and he helps support her living costs. About three years ago, Sokphat developed nasal polyps, which are noncancerous growths in the lining of the nasal passage. Her nasal path to the eye duct on her right side has been blocked. As a result, she experiences headaches, nasal congestion, eye pain, and vision loss. She is not well enough to leave the house or do any housework. Sokphat needs to undergo a dacryocystorhinostomy, a procedure in which surgeons create a new path for tears to drain between her eyes and her nose. Fortunately, she could travel two hours to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), for treatment. On December 13th, doctors will perform a nasal polypectomy to remove the polyps. After recovery, she will be able to breathe more easily. CSC is requesting $319 to fund this procedure. Sokphat was able to gather $75 to contribute to her care. Sokphat said: "I hope the doctors can fix the pain from my eyes to my nose so I can feel good again and take care of my nephew."

Panha is a 14-year-old student from Cambodia who is studying in the 9th grade. He has an older and younger brother. His father works as a rice farmer, and his mother sells fish at the market. When Panha was a year old, he experienced burns on his legs from a cooking fire accident. Burn scan contractures have developed, tightening the skin around the burns, especially on his right foot. As a result, it is difficult for Panha to wear shoes and walk, his legs feel itchy, and he is shy around his peers at school. When Panha learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment for him. On November 17th, surgeons at CSC will perform a burn contracture release surgery to help him walk easily again. CSC is requesting $495 procedure to fund this procedure. Panha's family was able to gather $100 to contribute to his care. Panha shared: "I hope I feel comfortable about my legs and can walk easily after this surgery."

Srey Ni is a 26-year-old homemaker. She is married, with a young daughter at home. Srey Ni grows vegetables around the house to supplement the family's meals, and after she has finished her daily tasks and put her daughter to bed, she likes to watch television. Several years ago, Srey Ni developed nasal polyps, which are noncancerous growths in the lining of the nasal passage. As a result of these polyps, she experiences difficulty breathing during the day, trouble sleeping at night, frequent headaches, and a runny nose. She often feels tired during the day, and lacks the energy to keep up with her daughter. Srey Ni learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, and sought their help. Now she is scheduled to undergo a nasal polypectomy on October 18th, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, after which she should breathe more easily, sleep better, and have the energy to match that of her daughter. Now, she needs your help to fund this $319 procedure. Srey Ni shared: "It has been very difficult for me to care for my family when I feel poorly. I hope to sleep well at night, have no more headaches, and breathe easier."

Yves is a young man from Haiti. He lives with his parents and sister in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince; they have been caring for him since he fell ill about five years ago. Prior to his illness, he worked as a clerk for a local business. Yves has a cardiac condition called severe rheumatic mitral insufficiency. One of the four valves of his heart was severely damaged by a rheumatic fever that he suffered a number of years ago, and cannot adequately pump blood through his heart and body. The care Yves is not available anywhere in Haiti, so Yves will fly to Dominican Republic to receive treatment. On September 12th, he will undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will remove his damaged valve and implant an artificial replacement. Haiti Cardiac Alliance is contributing $9000 to pay for surgery. Yves's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It will also pay for the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Yves's family overseas, and the cost of obtaining Yves' passport. Says Yves: "I am hopeful that I can get back to a healthy and independent life once my heart problem is fixed!"

Meet Hour! He lives in Cambodia with his parents, who both work as farmers. His 26-year-old brother works as a seller at a local market. Hour completed school up to 6th grade, but he no longer attends. He enjoys spending time listening to music, playing games, and meeting friends. When he was a toddler, Hour was diagnosed with hemophilia, a medical condition that severely reduces the ability of blood to clot. This causes him to bleed heavily from even slight injuries. Four months ago, Hour began experiencing pain in his hips. He was diagnosed with bilateral hip necrosis, a painful condition that occurs when the blood supply to the head of the femur, or thighbone, is disrupted. Because bone cells need a steady supply of blood to stay healthy, his condition can ultimately lead to the destruction of his hip joint. Hour is currently unable to walk without support, has anemia, and is in chronic pain. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping him receive treatment. On August 10th, he will undergo a joint replacement, called an uncemented hip arthroplasty. CSC is requesting $1,500 to fund Hour's treatment and care. Hour shares, "I am thankful that I have a chance to have a new hip. This treatment will help me be able to work to help my family in the future."

Adonai is a one-month-old baby boy and the last-born child in a family of five children. Adonai's parents are small-scale farmers of maize, vegetables, beans, and a bit of tobacco. Through farming, they can get their food while the tobacco is usually sold to get money to pay for daily necessities. Adonai was diagnosed at birth with a congenital disability of the left clubfoot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape causing difficulty in walking and wearing shoes. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre, will perform clubfoot repair surgery on July 5th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is raising $935 to fund Adonai's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily and wear shoes when he grows up. Adonai’s father shared, “Things are really tough, and money has become hard to get. I depend on farming which has been very poor this season. Please help treat my son.”

Shantel is a 5-year-old cheerful girl from Elgeyo Marakwet County in western Kenya. Shantel is the eldest child in her family and lives with her grandmother in a semi-permanent house. Shantel's family grows maize on their small piece of land as their source of food along with casual jobs working on other farms and doing laundry to earn a living. Shantel recently visited AIC Kapsowar Hospital for an x-ray of an elbow fracture and a posterior splint for her right arm. She sustained the injury after falling from a tree while playing with other children. They visited another hospital near their home where she was stabilized with the splint, but was asked to wait to be seen by a surgeon. Shantel is right-handed and this injury has impacted her performance at school since she cannot write. An orthopedic surgeon determined that Shantel needed percutaneous pinning urgently to help restore the normal functioning of her limb and to be able to continue with her education. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $679 to cover Shantel's surgery on May 24th. Shantel's mother shared, "It hurts when my child needs help that I cannot offer her. Kindly help her so she may be able to go to school like other children.”

Christian, who lives in the Philippines, is a hardworking father with a 7-month-old daughter. He works as an on-call waiter, while his wife is currently a student. With Christian’s limited income, he is worried about supporting all of his family’s needs and financing his medical treatment. In April, Christian was diagnosed with a hernia which requires surgery. Correcting the hernia will better enable Christian to find a new job and higher pay, and improve his ability to care for his family. With the help of our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, Christian is scheduled for surgery at Our Lady of Peace Hospital on May 3rd, for which they are requesting $1,130 to fund his procedure and care. “I always fail my physical exams because of my condition, and I'm burdened by it because, as a father, I need to support my family,” Christian shared. “This surgery will be a big help to our family so thank you so much World Surgical Foundation Philippines and Watsi for helping,” he added.

Phoeun is a 64-year-old rice farmer. He has one son, two daughters, six grandchildren, and lives with his wife who is also a farmer. Phoeun likes to listen to the news and the monks praying on the radio. Two years ago, Phoeun developed a cataract in his right eye, causing him photophobia and blurry vision. He has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces. He is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on his own. When Phoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On April 19th, doctors performed a cataract surgery and implanted an intraocular lens in his right eye. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Phoeun says, "I hope after surgery my eye can see clearly. I want to get back to working more easily in the rice field."

Joan is a farmer and a mother from Rukungiri district in southwest Uganda. She is married and is a mother of six, with two sons, both studying in school, and four daughters, all of whom are married and small-scale farmers. She managed to complete seventh grade in primary school but never proceeded due to a lack of money for school fees. Joan and her husband do farming and grow food crops for home consumption, but often sell off the surplus to generate an income for their family. Five years ago, Joan began to experience troubling symptoms, including a lot of pain; she can’t turn her head sideways; she feels congested with difficulty breathing; she gets fatigued easily and has shortness of breath whenever she lies down to sleep. She first went to Kisiizi hospital, where she was diagnosed and was asked to first pay for her surgery, which she couldn’t raise, but when she was oriented about a surgical support program, she decided to come to see if she could be supported. She was diagnosed with a goiter and needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Joan receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 29th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252, and she and her family need help raising money. Joan says, "I am really in deep pain, but I hope to get healed once I receive this surgery."