47-year-old Sophea is a farmer, living with his mother in Kandal province in Cambodia. When not working on the farm or caring for his elderly mother, he enjoys doing housework and spending time with friends. Since he was about ten years old, Sophea has lived with a mole on the right side of his nose near his eye. Recently, the mole spread to his lower eyelid. Sophea visited a private clinic and had the mole removed. However, the mole returned and began to bleed. Sophea is worried that it might be cancerous. Sophea sought help from our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. On February 7th, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will perform an excision of the lesion, and send a sample for histology. Sophea needs help to fund this $673 procedure. Sophea said: "I hope the doctors can remove the tumor and I can go to work and take care of my mother."

Raheel is a 15-month-old boy from a small family with one sibling and two parents. Raheel’s father is a local vendor selling fish at the market, and his mother sells clothes and accessories. Raheel's parents work to make sure their family is provided for, but have struggled to make ends while business has been slow. Raheel has clubfoot of his left foot, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape making it difficult for Raheel to learn to walk and wear shoes. Fortunately, Raheel's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on January 13th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Raheel's parent's raise $935 to fund his clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily. Raheel’s mother shared, “It feels good seeing my son be playful despite his foot condition. I wish for his other foot to be normal too.”

Aung, who is 25 years old, lives with his mother, brother and two sisters in Burma. His mother is retired, and his brother is a security guard. One of his sisters works at a bicycle factory, while the other one works for a local company. Aung is currently unemployed because of his poor health. In October 2022, Aung fell ill and developed a persistent cough. He went to a charity hospital, where he was told that he had a heart infection. After he was treated with injected antibiotics, the doctor told him that he needed an echocardiogram, because he might have a heart condition due to the infection. After the echo was completed, he was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation, and he was referred to a cardiologist in Yangon. Aung went to see the cardiologist, who told him that he would need surgery, which he could not afford. On December 25, 2022, both of Aung's legs and his arms became swollen, and he was unable to sleep. He went to a private hospital, where it was determined that he would need surgery as soon as possible. Currently, Aung feels extremely fatigued, experiences chest pains, and has difficulty breathing. Sometimes, his legs and his arms become swollen, and he cannot sleep well at night. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for the mitral valve replacement surgery that Aung needs. The procedure is currently scheduled to take place on April 2nd, at Pun Hlaing Hospital. "In the future, I want to work as a taxi driver, because I believe that I could easily earn money doing this [in the city]," said Aung.