Phat is a 44-year-old hospital janitor living in Cambodia. She was widowed ten years ago after her husband died in a motorbike accident. Since his death, Phat has focused on working and caring for their three children. Six years ago, Phat developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her to experience itchiness, tearing, and impaired vision. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur because of excessive exposure to the sun, which damages the conjunctiva, causing cells to grow abnormally over the pupil. Phat came to our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, for help. On May 2nd, she will undergo a surgical procedure at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre, during which the abnormal conjunctiva will be removed and replaced with a conjunctival graft, which should prevent a recurrence of this condition. The total cost of her procedure- including medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days- is $225, and Phat needs your help to fund this money. Phat said: "I hope after surgery I [will] feel happy and I don’t worry anymore, and I can go back to my job."

San is a 52-year-old mother from Burma. San resides with her daughter in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp along the Thai-Burma border. During her free time, San and her daughter cherish quality time together. In 2022, San developed a sensitive medical condition that causes her great discomfort and pain and intense lower back pain. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy. If left untreated, San's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, San is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on September 25. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, she will no longer experience pain nor discomfort. San said, “I felt very sad because I could not afford to pay for my surgery. Now that I learned that BCMF will support my treatment, I feel very happy. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all the donors and BCMF. I'm eager to recover fully and quickly. Once I recover, I will search for work and enjoy a long life with my daughter."

Leonard is a 41-year-old lumberjack from Kenya. He is a bachelor, has no children, and lives alone in his grandfather’s place. His work as a lumberjack is seasonal and he sometimes works on peoples' farms to earn money for basic needs. His relatives live in faraway places and are of limited socio-economic status. Leonard has no medical coverage and cannot raise the money required for his needed medical treatment. Leonard was injured while felling trees. One of the trees fell on Leonard, hitting him on his right hip. He fell, and the people with him ran away, thinking he had died. Leonard was unable to walk and slept at the scene. Luckily one of his neighbors passed by and found him. Leonard's neighbors carried him to the hospital for treatment as he could not stand or walk. An x-ray revealed that he had a complete fracture of the upper end of his right femur. He is now admitted to the surgical ward on bed rest because his fracture is at a weight-bearing joint. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On October 2nd, Leonard will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. A surgeon will make an incision, realign the bones, and insert hardware to hold the bones together. Subsequently, after recovery, Leonard will be able to walk again. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,247 to fund this procedure. Leonard says, “It is so sad that I cannot now walk but I thank God that I am alive because that tree was big. Please help me so that I may be able to work and be able to sustain myself because I have nobody to depend on.”