Steve StaffordUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Steve's Story

Steve joined Watsi on August 8th, 2013. Eight years ago, Steve joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Steve's most recent donation traveled 1,900 miles to support Marvens, a toddler from Haiti, to fund prep costs for life-saving heart surgery.

Impact

Steve has funded healthcare for 131 patients in 14 countries.

patients you have funded

Perlisa is a 34-year-old, full-time mother of two sons and one daughter, living in the Philippines. Her partner is a construction worker, with only limited earnings to support the family. In 2020, Perlisa began to experience a broad constellation of symptoms, ranging from weight loss and extreme fatigue, to chest pain and shortness of breath, a bloated stomach and back pain. After undergoing an ultrasound, it was determined that Perlisa had a gallstone which needed to be surgically removed. Because of a lack of funds, Perlisa delayed her surgery, missed appointments with her doctors, and relied on medications to ease her symptoms. Ultimately, Perlisa found her way to our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, and they will be able help Perlisa access the care that she needs. On September 10th, Perlisa will undergo surgery to have her gallbladder removed at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Without this procedure, Perlisa's symptoms could worsen, and she would be at risk for more health complications in the future. While a portion of the cost of Perlisa's procedure is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, World Surgical Foundation Philippines is looking to raise the remaining $826 needed to cover the costs of Perlisa's surgery and care. "Ive been praying for so long to be treated for my illness. We're financially incapable to pay for my medical bills. This surgery is an answered prayer." Perlisa shared. "I'm eternally grateful to WATSI, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, and all the doctors who helped me. May the Lord continue to bless you so that you may be able to help more people," she added.

$826raised
Fully funded

Yi is a 67-year-old woman from Bruma who lives in a monastery with 40 other monks, nuns, and villagers. Although she does not have an income, all of her basic needs are met by the monastery. Yi enjoys spending most of her time reading religious books. Over 15 years ago, Yi's vision in her right eye became blurred, but she did not seek treatment because she thought it was simply something that was destined to occur due to her aging process. However, she eventually sought medical care at a hospital with the support of donors because her vision progressively worsened. There, she was diagnosed with a cataract and was scheduled to undergo repair surgery. On the day she was supposed to receive treatment, her son unfortunately passed away, so she did not return to the hospital for the procedure. Over the next couple of years, Yi began to also experience blurred vision in her left eye. The vision in both of her eyes deteriorated to the point where she could no longer recognize people. Fortunately, she was able to undergo cataract surgery of her left eye two months ago with the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Now, she is scheduled to undergo cataract surgery on August 10th. During this procedure, surgeons will perform a lens replacement on her right eye. BCMF is requesting $769 to cover the total cost of Yi's procedure and care. Yi shares, "As long as I am alive, I want to see and I do not want to depend on others to help me. I felt so happy when I learned that donors will pay for the cost of my surgery. Thank you so much to all the donors.”

$769raised
Fully funded

Stephen is a young man from Kenya. He is the firstborn in a family of 3 children. Their family has relied on their mother to provide for them as his father passed away when he was young boy. His mother does deliveries for different shop owners around their town. Stephen had to drop out from college do to inability to pay his school fees, and he now helps around the house and helps his mother with the deliveries, which is the how the family makes ends meet. Stephen has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Stephen has been experiencing severe headaches since this past July. He visited a hospital where a CT scan was done that revealed that he had a cyst that was obstructing the normal flow of fluid in and out of the head. An urgent surgery was recommended to remove the cyst, but he did not undergo it due to not having the funds for the procedure. A shunt insertion surgery has been recommended along with a craniotomy that will be performed later to remove the cyst. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Stephen that will treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 23rd and will drain the excess fluid from Stephen's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Stephen will hopefully continue to develop into a strong, healthy man. Stephen says, “I really want to be treated so that I can help my mom provide for us.”

66%funded
$476raised
$244to go

Aye is a 47-year-old mother, living with her daughter in Thailand. Up until four months ago, Aye worked as a day laborer on a farm. Because she has had to stop working, Aye's daughter left school, and now works as a nanny to help support her mother. Aye's siblings have also stepped up to support their sister. Five years ago, Aye began to experience pain on the left side of her body. She also developed a fever and vomiting, lost her appetite, and found it difficult to sleep. In addition, she experienced night sweats and a stiff neck. Aye was treated by a local health worker, and for a while, she felt better. However, in June 2021, her symptoms worsened, and she went to Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), where she was told to go to the hospital. Due to a lack of funds, Aye could not go to the hospital, and was treated at a local clinic, instead. In April 2022, Aye's symptoms returned, and she went back to Mae Tao Clinic, where she was diagnosed with stones in her left kidney. This time she did go the hospital, where she was told that she would need to have surgery, to remove the stones from her kidney. Thanks to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Aye is scheduled for surgery to remove the kidney stones on October 3rd, at Mae Sot General Hospital. After she has recovered, Aye should be able to return to her work and to enjoying her life, free from all of her uncomfortable symptoms. Aye and her family need your help to cover the $1,500 needed to pay for her surgery. Aye said: "I am happy that I will be able to receive surgery through donors. Thank you so much for saving my life.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded