Seak is a 19-year-old farmer, living with her parents and two older siblings in Kampong Thom province. Her father is disabled and cannot work, while the rest of her family members are rice farmers. When she is home, Seak helps her mother in the house, and likes to listen to music. On September 11th, Seak was riding her motorbike on her way home, when she collided with a tuk-tuk. She fell from her bike onto her left arm, lacerating her left hand on the concrete. At the local clinic, an X-ray of Seak's arm revealed that she had fractured her humerus - a bone in her upper arm. While she was transferred to the local hospital for care, she was unable to pay, and returned home. Her arm is swollen, and she lives in constant pain, only using her arm and hand with great difficulty. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, can help. On September 12th, Seak will undergo a fracture repair procedure at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, which will cost $483. This surgery will repair her bone, enabling her to use her arm again. Seak's family needs your help to raise the funds to pay for her procedure. Seak said: "After surgery, I hope I will have no pain and can work like before to help my family."

Sok is a 40-year-old father of three from Cambodia. He and his wife are rice farmers on their ancestral land and have three children: a 16-year-old daughter, an 11-year-old son, and a 2-year-old daughter. When not working outside in the fields, Sok likes to play football with his neighbors and son. Sok has had a painful mass on his left knee for at least ten years. It has grown larger, making it impossible for him to walk without pain. Sok also experiences difficulty working outside, riding a motorbike, or helping his wife around the house. He received an x-ray at his local clinic and was diagnosed with a uric acid mass from advanced gout, also known as gouty tophus. A tophus can occur when the patient has gout and uric acid builds up around the joints, which is often painful. It is also possible for the mass to press on a nerve, which can be both painful and potentially dangerous. Larger masses need to be removed so they don't cause long-term damage to the joint. The local clinic team recommended Sok undergo surgery to remove the mass, but Sok was unable to afford the procedure. Fortunately, a neighbor told him about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), and Sok traveled to CSC's care center to receive treatment. On October 3rd, surgeons will remove the mass. CSC is requesting $273 to fund this procedure. Sok contributed $100 to his care. Sok said: "After surgery, I hope I will be able to walk more easily and without pain, swelling, and infection."

Adrine is a 47-year-old woman who resides in a village in southwestern Uganda, where she earns her livelihood as a farmer. A dedicated mother, Adrine raised four children: two daughters and two sons. Her elder son is a policeman, while the other is engaged in business ventures. Both of her daughters are married and work as farmers too. Despite her determination, Adrine faced insurmountable barriers in her education. Due to financial constraints, she could only complete the 7th grade. Her primary source of income is now derived from farming, and her husband supports the family working as a laborer, helping on other people's farms to make ends meet. Five years ago, Adrine began to experience troubling symptoms, including a persistent neck swelling. This condition has significantly impacted her daily life, causing shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, pain while swallowing, and hoarseness of voice during speech. Although Adrine did not visit a doctor when the symptoms were mild, they worsened over time, prompting her to seek medical help. She was diagnosed with bilateral goiter--an enlargement of both lobes of the thyroid gland. Adrine needs surgery to relieve her symptoms and prevent them from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Adrine receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on October 10th 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. Adrine says, “I am looking forward to being relieved from pain, all the symptoms it had always brought to me, and to having a good recovery after surgery.”