Mario's Story

Mario joined Watsi on October 17th, 2016. Seven years ago, Mario joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Mario's most recent donation traveled 3,400 miles to support Kelly, a 23-year-old student from Kenya, to fund surgery to restore mobility.

Impact

Mario has funded healthcare for 65 patients in 14 countries.

Patients funded by Mario

Lourdez is a mother of three from the Philippines. Currently, her family depends on the income of their second child, who works as a call center agent. Lourdez shared that this income is not enough for the family's expenses and hopes that, after her treatment, she will be able to work and help earn money to support her family. Seven months ago, Lourdez began to experience troubling symptoms, including unbearable stomach pain that lasted for hours. She immediately consulted with a doctor. However, she knows her family cannot afford the cost of surgery, so she had to look for other treatment options. Fortunately, a friend brought her to one of our care centers, where the doctors advised Lourdez to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Lourdez is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on December 13th. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation is supporting a portion of the cost of the procedure. WSFP is requesting $1,128 to cover the remaining cost of her surgery and care. Lourdez said, "This treatment will be a great help, not just for me but for my family. We have no other means of funding my surgery. As a basic earner, my daughter's income is often not enough for our family's needs and expenses. The free surgery would be a blessing and an opportunity for me to help my daughter earn for the family."

$557raised
$571to go

Gay is a fifteen-year-old resident of Burma, who lives in a village in a conflict area called Karen State with his parents and two older sisters. Gay's parents and one of his sisters work in subsistence farming and his other sister is still in school. Due to financial constraints, Gay tends to the family's cows instead of attending school. During his leisure time, he enjoys fishing and gathering vegetables. On the morning of November 13, Gay was in an accident while riding on his friend's tractor. He was seated next to the driver and fell off when the tractor hit a bump while descending a slope. The trailer being towed behind the tractor ran over his right thigh, resulting in a severe femur fracture. Currently, Gay experiences considerable pain and is unable to move his right leg. He requires assistance from his father for basic activities like using the bathroom. Fortunately, Gay was able to make it to Mae Sot General Hospital, a care center of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Thanks to the support of BCMF, Gay is slated to undergo surgery on November 14th, to reset his fractured bones, allowing them to properly heal. BCMF is requesting $1500 to help fund this procedure. This surgical intervention holds the promise of enabling Gay to walk again without enduring pain. Expressing his gratitude, Gay's father shared, "When I heard that my son needs an expensive surgery, I felt hopeless. I did not know what to do and I felt so sad to see him in pain. When I learned from the doctor that donors will help pay for my son's treatment, I felt so happy that words cannot express how I felt. Thank you so much with all my heart for helping my son."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Sothany is a 23-year-old woman who lives with her mother and father in the Prey Veng province of Cambodia, where her parents are rice farmers. She has four brothers and four sisters. When Sothany was younger, her parents noticed that her spine was not straight; however, they could not afford proper healthcare for her. As she has grown up, she has had more noticeable changes, including uneven hips and shoulders, prominent ribs, and a shift of her waist and torso to the side. For the past few years, Sothany's disability has increasingly affected her breathing as her rib cage presses against the lungs, making it more difficult to breathe. Sothany is very self-conscious about her spinal deformity and limited mobility. As a result, she quit her job in a clothes factory and stays home with her mother. She makes homemade videos to sell lotions and creams on social media. Her parents first heard about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), in early 2020. However, they were unable to travel due to COVID pandemic travel restrictions. Today, Sothany's symptoms have greatly increased including muscle imbalance, pain, and difficulty breathing. Sothany and her parents traveled for two and a half hours to our medical partner to seek intervention for her disability. Sothany will undergo a posterior spinal fusion with implants at CSC's care center on August 1st. Sothany is contributing $100 to pay for her care, and CSC is requesting the remaining $1500 to fund the procedure. This will cover radiology, medications, surgery, and post-op physiotherapy care. Sothany said, "After surgery, I hope my spine will be straight. I want to walk with my friends and not have hard breathing, work to support myself, and not be ashamed of my back."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Wine is a three-year-old boy who lives with his parents and siblings in Karen State - an area of Burma that is in a state of crisis and conflict. Wine’s father is a construction day laborer and his mother stays at home with Wine and his siblings. Wine's older brother lives in Bangkok and his sister lives in Shan State and is able to send Wine's household money every month. His other four siblings are students. Wine was born in 2019 with a condition called hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is caused by a brain malformation or birth defect that causes excessive cerebrospinal fluid to accumulate in brain cavities. Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear, colorless liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, protecting them from injury. It carries nutrients to the brain and spinal cord and takes away waste. In a healthy person, the amount of this fluid produced by the brain is absorbed by the body. In hydrocephalus, the fluid fails to drain and accumulates, leading to pressure on the brain. Wine's symptoms include a lump on the bridge of his nose. His eyes frequently water, and he cries a lot when he is in severe pain. Additionally, his head is gradually increasing in size as the fluid continues to build. The condition is most often treated by inserting a shunt. The shunt diverts excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the brain to another part of the body where the fluid can be reabsorbed. Wine visited a doctor when he was born to address the issue. While he was in the process of receiving treatment across the border at a hospital in Thailand, the Thai-Burma border shut down due to the outbreak of COVID-19. With the closure of the Thai-Burma border, Wine and his family could not go back to his follow-up care. Fortunately, after the Thai-Burma border reopened, Wine was able to meet with our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Wine received a CT scan at Mae Sot General Hospital and the doctor was able to diagnose the issue and scheduled Wine to undergo surgery immediately on June 2nd. BCMF is now requesting $1,500 to help fund this procedure. Wine's mother said, "I want him to be able to walk, sit, and be healthy like other children his age. My husband and two of my children work, so I can take good care of Wine. I cry a lot whenever I see Wine suffering from pain, but now I feel like I no longer have to shed a tear for him because of that. I don’t want to be rich, nor do I want him to be rich. I only want Wine to be healthy and happy."

$1,500raised
Fully funded