Puttra, who is 17 years old, lives in Kampong Speu, a province just outside of the capital city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His parents are pig and cow farmers, and he has three younger sisters. In his free time, Puttra plays soccer with his friends and feeds the cows near his house. In the future, Puttra would like to be a teacher of Cambodian studies. Puttra has nasal polyps in each nostril that result in discharge, poor sleep, and pain, including frequent headaches. He has been using medications that his mother regularly purchases at a pharmacy to manage these symptoms, but his condition has not improved. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is here to help. On March 8th, Puttra will undergo a bilateral polypectomy at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, which should permanently alleviate all of his unpleasant symptoms. Puttra and his family need your help to raise $388 to fund the surgery. Puttra hopes that after surgery, this problem will be gone, and he can focus on school.

Peace is a 65-year-old farmer and a mother to three children. Her eldest daughter is in the army, middle child is in the police force, and the youngest one is married to a farmer. During her studying days, her wish was to be a nurse but she lost her father in high school. Unfortunately, her mother couldn’t raise her school fees leading her to drop out. She has been married for 32 years, and she and her husband are farmers. She shared that together they enjoy attending church services, preaching to the young generation, and caring for each other. Five years ago, Peace began to experience troubling symptoms, including anterior neck swelling, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and swallowing with persistent heart palpitations. She was diagnosed with nontoxic goiter. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Peace receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on February 28th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $252. She and her family need help raising money. Peace says “I hope for a full recovery once am operated and with God's mercy, I think all will be well.”

Som Orn is a 53-year-old rice farmer. She shared that her husband passed away ten years ago due to liver cancer. Som Orn has three sons, three daughters, and two grandchildren. Her children all work in construction, and she works in the rice fields. At home, Som Orn likes to listen to the news on the radio. Five years ago, Som Orn developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her photophobia, tearing, and blurry vision. As a result, she has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so she cannot go out on her own. When Som Orn learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), she traveled for six and a half hours seeking treatment. On February 7th, doctors will perform cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly again. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Som Orn said: "After surgery, I hope I will see better. I can plant rice or find a job to earn money to support my family."

Lu is a 63-year-old man who lives with his wife and niece in a refugee camp in Thailand. He is unemployed, while his wife is a homemaker, and his niece is a student. Lu enjoys going to the forest to fish in the steams and to forage for vegetables. He shared he also likes to read the Bible and to sing hymns. Lu developed cataracts in both of his eyes. As a result, his vision is blurry and impaired, which makes it difficult for Lu to lead an independent life. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Lu. On January 19th, doctors at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital will perform a lens replacement procedure, during which they will remove Lu's natural lenses, and replace them with intraocular lens implants. After recovery, Lu will be able to see clearly again and get back to his day-to-day life. Now, he needs your help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Lu said: “I feel so annoyed and uncomfortable when I try to look around me, so I will often just close my eyes,” he said. “I want to receive surgery so that my vision can be restored.”

Oun is a 75-year-old retired rice farmer. She lives in Pursat province, revered as one of the holiest sites of Cambodian Buddhism. Her husband died of lung disease many years ago, so she lives with her son, his wife and her grandchildren, who are all rice farmers. When not helping out in the house, she likes visiting the local pagoda to listen to the monks pray. Four years ago, Oun developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her tearing, blurry vision, and photophobia. Oun has to spend her days inside the house due to light sensitivity from her cataract, and she cannot do what she normally likes to do. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Oun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for six and a half hours seeking treatment. On January 3rd, doctors will perform phacoemulsification and place an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Oun said: "I hope my eye can be fixed, so I can continue to spend time with my family and recognize faces."

Saren is a 67-year-old retired farmer from Kampong Speu. She is married with two sons, five daughters, and 12 grandchildren. She lives with her retired husband and one of her daughters. At home, she enjoys going to the local pagoda or listening to the monks pray on the local radio station. Almost a year ago, Saren developed a cataract in her right eye, causing her cloudy, blurry vision. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Saren learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On December 6th, doctors will perform phacoemulsification cataract surgery and place an intraocular lens implant in her right eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. She shared: "I hope after surgery I will be able to help my daughter do housework, take care of my grandchildren, and help my family with our rice planting."

Sai Laung, who is 18 years old, lives with her parents and her younger sister in Shan State in Burma. Sai Laung used to be an agriculture day laborer, but she stopped working in July 2022 due to her illness. In her free time, Sai Laung likes to read Buddhist books and study English online. During the first week of July 2022, Sai Laung began to feel very tired and she developed a fever. At first, she thought it was because she was working a lot, but when she had difficulty breathing a few days later, her mother brought her to the hospital. She was told she might have a congenital heart condition, and the doctor recommended that she have an echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis. Sai Laung had an echocardiogram at another hospital, confirming that she has a ventricular septal defect, or a hole in her heart. The doctor advised her to go to the Pun Hlaing Hospital in Yangon to see a cardiologist, which Sai Laung did towards the end of November 2022. During that visit, the doctor also diagnosed her with aortic valve regurgitation, and told her that she needs surgery. Currently, Sai Laung has difficulty breathing and is only able to walk short distances before experiencing fatigue. Performing ordinary household chores like cooking or cleaning is exhausting for her. Her lips turn blue, and she has sharp chest pain, fever, and difficulty sleeping. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, has stepped in to assist Sai Laung access the care that she needs. On March 7th, she will undergo surgery to repair her heart at Pun Hlaing Hospital. Now Sai Laung and her family need your help to raise the $1,500 to fund this life-saving procedure. “I have felt so sad since I was diagnosed with this [heart disease]. I need surgery and we have no money. I look at my parents and I pity them because they work so hard to help me get treatment. I want to recover quickly and go back to work so I can help my parents with the extra income. When I learned that there are donors who will help pay for my treatment cost, I felt so happy," said Sai Luang.

Sokvisal is a 23-year-old man, living in Cambodia. He has three younger siblings - a brother, and two sisters - all of whom are in school. His father is a rainy day rice and vegetable farmer, while his mother is a teacher at a high school. Sokvisal enjoys reading and listening to music. Sokvisal was a student when in June 2019, he was involved in a motorcycle collision. He fractured several of the bones in his right arm, as well as his tibia. Sokvisal's family took him to Vietnam for treatment, where he underwent surgery to repair the fractures. In Cambodia, doctors attempted to treat his brachial plexus injury, but they were unsuccessful, leaving Sokvisal without the ability to move his right arm. He can't complete school or go to work, which has left him feeling very depressed. Sokvisal sought help from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. Now he is scheduled to undergo surgery on November 3rd, at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. Doctors hope they will be able to improve his overall finger and upper limb function. Sokvisal needs your help to raise the $600 to fund this life changing procedure. Sokvisal said: "After surgery, I hope I can use my right arm to be more independent."

Souhaimy is a 20-year-old student from Cambodia. He is from a rural area and has four brothers. His father is a construction worker, and his mom sells fried noodles from a street cart. In his free time, he and his friends play soccer, go on social media, and do homework under a tree near their house. When he was a child, Souhaimy had an ear infection. This infection caused a cholesteatoma, or abnormal skin growth, to develop in the middle ear behind the ear drum. For this reason, Souhaimy experiences hearing loss, tinnitus, and ear discharge. It is difficult for him to hear and he is regularly taking various medications, but to no avail. Souhaimy traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 9th, he will undergo a mastoidectomy procedure in his left ear. During this procedure, ENT surgeons will remove the cholesteatoma. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $926 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. He said, "I hope my ear is better after surgery. I am embarrassed about the discharge and I can't remember my ear ever feeling normal."