Yi is a 52-year-old mother who lives with her husband, two sons and a daughter in a conflict area called Rakhine State. Her husband, daughter and younger son are unemployed while she is a homemaker. Her older son works as a taxi driver but does not always have work. They are financially supported by Yi's third son, who is also a taxi driver and lives separately. In her free time, she like to meditate and read Facebook posts relating to health. Yi first felt unwell in 2010 when she experienced severe joint pain. Later on, she also developed difficulty breathing and heart palpitations. She was diagnosed with a heart condition requiring surgery, but she could not afford to pay for it. Over the years, she tried to manage her symptoms through medication, but they would only help her feel better temporarily. Currently, Yi tires easily and does not have energy to do anything. She cannot walk long distances, and she cannot walk downstairs. If she does, she experiences chest pain and difficulty breathing. When she talks a lot, she feels tired. She has no appetite and cannot breathe well. She also has chest pain and cannot sleep at night. In May, she went to Pun Hlaing Hospital in Yangon, where the doctor diagnosed her with mitral valve stenosis and tricuspid valve regurgitation. She now needs to undergo surgery to have two valves in her heart replaced. Yi is scheduled to have this surgery on July 20th with our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). They are requesting $1,500 to fund her procedure. Her son said, “Thank you so much to the donors and the organization [BCMF] for helping with the cost of my mom’s surgery. I worry about my mom and want her to get surgery as soon as possible.”

Lyton is a bodaboda (motorcycle taxi) driver. He left school in 7th grade to pursue his kiln-making business; today, he and his wife, a farmer, combine efforts to raise their family. Lyton and his wife have a three children - a thirteen-year-old, a seven-year-old, and a three-year old, all of whom are in school. They own a three-room mud house for shelter. Fifteen years ago, Lyton began to experience troubling symptoms, including a neck swelling that has grown over the years, becoming a big mass. It makes his neck stiff and he cannot turn his head when operating his bodaboda. He is also not able to lift and carry heavy items. Lyton has been diagnosed with a right parathyroid mass with enlarged thyroid and needs surgery to prevent his symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Lyton receive treatment. He is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on November 10th at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of his thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and he and his family need help raising the money. Lyton says, “I believe the surgery will be successful. After my recovery, I hope to drive my bodaboda comfortably and be able to support my family.”

Chhem is a 57-year-old father from Cambodia. Chhem, his wife, and their children live in Prey Veng province. They have four children who still live at home - one daughter and three sons. Chhem is a vegetable seller, his wife is a homemaker, and the children attend school and help their father at the local market. At home, he likes to grow a few extra vegetables to supplement their family's diet. Chhem has been suffering from throat pain and swallowing difficulties for several years. A local hospital noted that he had small tumors on his tonsils and uvula. The tonsils are on either side of the throat at the back of the mouth, and the uvula is the small, finger-shaped piece of tissue that hangs down from the back of the throat. The tumors were biopsied, but there was no clear diagnosis. He went back to the local clinic when the pain got worse but could not afford the care. For the past three months, Chhem's pain has been worse. He does not know if he has a disease but knows that he cannot swallow and is in pain. Chhem traveled to our medical partner Children's Surgical Centre (CSC) to receive treatment. On August 11th, surgeons will remove the mass from his tonsils. Chhem is able to contribute towards the cost of the surgery and needs help to raise $273 to fully fund the procedure. Chhem said, "I hope I will receive the right diagnosis and know what the treatment plan is."