Mey Ching comes from Banteay Meanchey province in Cambodia. She lives with her parents - her father is a cook and her mother is a factory worker. She has a 15-year-old brother in grade seven and a 13-year-old sister in grade four. Mey Ching should be in second grade but is not currently in school because of her disability. She stays at home and likes to paint, watch TV and sit outside with her parents. Since birth, Mey Ching has had a condition with both of her legs which have become increasingly bowing outward at her knees. She cannot walk far and is in pain when she does. This has prevented her from attending school and socializing with peers. Mey Ching's parents traveled eight hours to Children's Surgical Centre for a diagnosis and treatment. Doctors have tentatively diagnosed her with a condition found in children that affects the growth plates around the knee. The disease causes the growth plate near the inside of the knee to either slow down or stop making new bone. She will need an operation to correct both of her bowing tibias. If not treated, it can lead to progressive deformities of her legs however surgical treatment will correct her bowed legs. Mey Ching's family needs help to pay for this $521 procedure at CSC to save their daughter from permanent disability. Mey Ching's mother said: "We are so worried that Mey Ching will never walk or attend school. We are hopeful that the doctors at CSC can fix her legs so she can go to school and play with friends."

Stevenson is a 26-year-old man from Haiti. He lives in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince with his parents and several siblings. Stevenson had been attending university, studying for a business degree, when poor health forced him to leave school. When he was a child, Stevenson developed rheumatic fever, which has resulted in rheumatic mitral valve prolapse. This condition has meant that one of Stevenson's heart valves is unable to pump sufficient blood through his body, leaving him weak and short of breath. Thanks to our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, Stevenson will fly to the Dominican Republic, where on September 27th, surgeons at Hospital CEDIMAT will perform surgery to remove the damaged valve, and implant an artificial one. Haiti Cardiac Alliance is contributing $8,000 to pay for Stevenson's surgery. But Stevenson's family also needs your help to fund the $1,500 to cover the cost of labs, medicines, and follow up appointments, as well as for the passports and the social workers, who will accompany the family to the Dominican Republic. Stevenson shared, "I feel very lucky to have this chance to finally have my heart healed!"

Heng is a 72-year-old retired rice farmer from Cambodia. He and his wife have three sons, three daughters, and seven grandchildren. Nowadays, they stay home, and he enjoys listening to the news and the monks praying on the radio when he has free time. Five years ago, Heng developed a pterygium in his right eye, causing him itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage, and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. As a result of this condition, Heng has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going outside. When Heng learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), he traveled for two and a half hours seeking treatment. On October 24th, Heng will undergo surgery to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. CSC is requesting $225 for the total cost of this procedure, which includes his medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. Heng shared, "After surgery, I hope my eye feels better, and I can feel happy to travel and no longer experience irritation."