Kayden is an eight-month-old baby boy from Kenya. He is the second born in a family of two children. His mother works as a hotel attendant and is unable to afford the proposed surgery Kayden needs. Kayden was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. His mother noticed the growing lump on his back and sought medical advice at a Catholic Medical Facility in Kariobangi, Nairobi, Kenya. There, she was referred to BethanyKids, where he was examined by the neurological team. Without treatment, Kayden is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1151 to cover the cost of Kayden's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on March 8th. This procedure will hopefully spare Kayden from the risks associated with his condition, allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Kayden's mother says, “His condition has caused me immense mental stress, which has resulted in an increase in my blood pressure. Due to this condition, I am forced to hide him from people. I hope he gets this treatment to be healthy again like kids his age.”

Kim is a 71-year-old retired rice farmer. She is from Kandal province in Cambodia, and has one son and two grandchildren. Currently, she lives with her son who is a construction worker. Her husband passed away many years ago. Some of her favorite activities include joining ceremonies at her local pagoda and cooking for her grandchildren. Two years ago, Kim developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her blurry vision, light sensitivity, and tearing. 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 Kim learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and a half hours seeking treatment. On December 8th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery 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. She said: "I hope my vision improves and I can get around easily by myself. I want to be able to help care for my grandchildren and walk to the pagoda by myself."

Niwarinda is a 27-year-old mother to a preschooler. She completed college and was trained to be a grade 3 nursery school teacher, but her profession was removed from the Ugandan professions list. She tried to open her own small business, but, unfortunately, her husband--a boda boda driver (a motorcycle taxi driver for hire)--was in an accident and they lost everything. Thankfully, her husband recovered well and he is now back at work. Six months ago, Niwarinda began to experience troubling symptoms, including night sweats, hoarseness, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. She was diagnosed with a goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Niwarinda receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 29th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. Now, she needs help to fund this $252 procedure. Niwandida says, “I think I will get better when I receive your support to undergo surgery because I have really passed through a lot of pain for all these years.”