Chanthoeun is a 57-year-old rice farmer. She is a widow and lives in Kampong Cham province with her youngest daughter. She has a total of four daughters and nine precious grandchildren. She spends her days outside on the farm and caring for her grandchildren while her daughter sells soft drinks. She likes to watch Khmer dramas on TV in the evening. Twelve years ago, Chanthoeun developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her Irritation and redness. Lately, it has been much worse and she has difficulty seeing. 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. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Chanthoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. Chanthoeun needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent a recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $225. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for February 7th. Chanthoeun said, "I hope after surgery my eye irritation will go away, and no redness. I want to help my daughter to take care of my grandchildren, go outside to help with the rice, and do housework well"

Stravensky, who is 18 years old, and in his final year of high school, lives in Port-au-Prince in Haiti, with his parents and two sisters. He aspires to go on to university to study engineering. Stravensky was born with atrial septal defect, a cardiac condition, where a hole exists between the upper two chambers in his heart. Instead of circulating through his lungs and picking up oxygen, the blood leaks through the hole, leaving him weak and short of breath. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to fund the costs of the surgery that Stravensky needs to repair his heart. The procedure, during which the hole will be repaired, is scheduled for February 1st, at Clinica Corominas. After this life changing operation, Stravensky should be able to live a healthy and comfortable life, and to pursue his ambitions without experiencing his current symptoms. From Stravensky: "I have been hoping to have my heart fixed ever since I was a small child - I can't believe it is finally happening!"

Nan is a 41-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband and two children. She is a homemaker and her husband is a day laborer. They also have a small garden where they grow betel nut and trees and raise cows, goats and chickens. She loves to take care of her garden during her free time. Nan was referred to BCMF to treat her severe heart condition (ASD) in Chiang Mai Hospital (CMH). After she arrived at our medical partner's Patient House in early March in the evening, she felt weak and tired. She also felt dizzy, had a headache and difficulty breathing. Unfortunately during the night, she suffered a seizure and fell semi-conscious. BCMF staff rushed her to the emergency room at CMH. Doctors want Nan to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $693 to cover the cost of Nan's urgent CT scan and care, scheduled for March 3rd. Nan’s husband said, "I am so worried about her but now, I can only wait and see. We have lived through some hard times and now, my wife is admitted in the emergency room.”