Cedric's Story

Cedric joined Watsi on February 22nd, 2019. Four years ago, Cedric joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Cedric's most recent donation traveled 9,000 miles to support Joana, a hardworking teacher from Malawi, to fund a hysterectomy.

Impact

Cedric has funded healthcare for 26 patients in 9 countries.

Patients funded by Cedric

Pendo is a twenty-one-year-old mother from Tanzania. She has two children aged two and a half years and one and a half years. In 2018, Pendo was involved in a fire accident. She had boiled water to give her two children warm baths. As she was bathing the youngest child close to the fire, she had an epileptic attack and fell down on the fire, leaving her unconscious and her right hand burned badly. Her firstborn child ran for help, and the neighbors rushed her to the hospital. There, Pendo had her burns cleaned and was advised to have them regularly dressed to help the wounds heal. However, after returning home, she never came back for more dressings due to financial challenges. Pendo sought treatment via herbal medicines instead, and her healing process was very slow. Eventually, Pendo's parents came to help take care of her and her children. She heard about our medical partner's care center from them, and sought treatment to correct her hand. Through Watsi donor support, Pendo was able to successfully undergo treatment to have her wrist contractures released and pins inserted in her hand. Because of how her wounds are healing, doctors recommend she have another surgery to help cover up her post-surgical wound with a skin graft. Pendo appeals for financial help for the care she needs. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Pendo receive treatment. On January 15th, surgeons at their care center will perform a split-thickness skin graft burn surgery. Once recovered, she will be able to use her hand much more easily and return to taking care of her children. Now, she needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Pendo shared, “My hand is now much better than before, though this wound is not healing well. This surgery will help in my healing, but I cannot afford it so I appreciate any help you can provide."

$874raised
Fully funded

Joan is a 15-year-old student from Kenya. She is the third born in a family of five children, and is very calm and tends to be quiet. Joan is a hard-working, optimistic girl who hopes to excel in school, and she is currently in Grade Seven. Her dream is to become a teacher in future. In the second week of December, Joan was involved in a road accident as a pillion passenger which almost cost her her life. Her vehicle came into a head-on collision with a car, and she lost consciousness for more than three hours. Ultimately, Joan suffered a severe femur fracture and skin lacerations. Because she could not lift her leg, she was put on traction to bring stability to her leg. She is in pain on her right leg and unable to walk. Now, she needs to undergo a fracture repair procedure to heal her injury and avoid risk of further complications. Unfortunately, this procedure is costly for Joan and her family. Her mother is a potato farmer, while her father is ill and currently unable to work in the farm. Joan's mother is the sole breadwinner of the family, and she has found it hard to educate her children due to the family's income. Joan and her family live in a mud-built house that is not in good condition and they are unable to repair it due to lack of money. The family has raised some money for the surgery thus far, but needs more financial support to raise the total cost. They appeal for financial help. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On December 17th, Joan will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. After she is fully recovered, Joan will be able to walk with ease and will be able to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,016 to fund this procedure. Joan shared, "My prayer is to finish school, have a good job and support my mum and my siblings."

$1,016raised
Fully funded

Thein is a 33-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his wife in Yangon, while his daughter lives with his aunt. He and his wife are vendors at the main bus station. In his free time, Thein likes to go to the tea shop with his friend and talk about work. In the future, he would like to become a motorcycle broker, where he believes he could earn a more steady income. Unfortunately, Thein has been unable to work since March 2020. At the time, he often felt too tired or unwell to work. Upon seeking care, Thein was diagnosed with a heart condition involving a malformation of the mitral valve, which is the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle. This valve controls the flow of blood, but certain conditions may cause blood to flow backward or the valve to narrow. Currently, Thein has difficulty breathing and feels tired when he does not receive oxygen or an intravenous drip. He cannot sleep well at night and has to take sleeping pills to help him get rest. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund a mitral valve replacement procedure for Thein. The treatment is scheduled to take place on November 13th and, once completed, will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and improve his quality of life. Thein shared, “After I have recovered fully, I will go back to work. I will try to search for a job that pays better so that I can pay off my debt. After I have paid back my debt, I will save money for my family’s future. I want my daughter to complete her studies.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Kupha is a 45-year-old woman from Kenya and has six children. In 2014, Kupha started experiencing some pain in her upper jaw. After some time, her jaw started to swell and the pain worsened. Both cold and hot food triggered pain that would last day and night. She went to a nearby facility in Kwale County to seek care, and was given some pain medication that worked for a while. She later returned for a surgery to remove the swollen tissue. Though she recovered well, the following year, Kupha started experiencing pain and swelling again. Upon returning to the same facility for a checkup, the doctor told her that no further treatment could be done. A few years later, Kupha heard about Kijabe Hospital and came for an examination in January 2020. The doctors diagnosed her with a benign maxillary mass and scheduled her for an excision surgery. During the surgery, they will put in a plate and screws to hold together her maxillar. However, Kupha and her family are not able to raise funds needed for the surgery. After the death of her husband a few years ago, Kupha has been struggling to provide for her six children. Her firstborn son is the main breadwinner of the family and also attends college, partially sponsored by the county government of Kwale. He does some casual jobs when he is not in class to feed the family, and also facilitates his mother's hospital visits. Kupha was able to raise some money for her treatment, but she does not have enough financial support and appeals for help. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,500 to cover the cost of Kupha's surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on October 15th and will be a ten hour long surgery. Hopefully, this treatment will alleviate her of further severe pain and swelling. Kupha shared, “With the pain that I have endured over the years, it has made it difficult for me to look for work and provide for my family. I will be happy when I receive the required treatment for my condition.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Bu is a 53-year-old man who lives with his wife, two sons and two daughters in a refugee camp in northern Thailand. He and his family fled there from Karen State, Burma, due to conflict in their area. Every month, Bu's household received 1,514 baht (approx. 50 USD) as part of their camp rations. Bu's oldest son works on farms outside of the camp as a seasonal day laborer. He makes 1,100 baht (approx. 37 USD) per month. The rest of Bu's three children are students, and his wife is a homemaker. Despite receiving free primary health care services and schooling in the camp, Bu's family is struggling to make ends meet every month. Bu started to suffer from back pain and fever in 2015. He also experienced slight discomfort and a burning sensation while urinating. When he went to the camp's clinic, run by Malteser International (MI), he received oral medications. For a few months, his symptoms and pain disappeared, but later on, they returned. Whenever the pain would worsen, Bu would receive more medication from the camp's clinic. On 2 July 2020, when Bu's symptoms worsened, he went back to the clinic to received more medication. Noting that he kept returning to the clinic with severe symptoms, Bu was referred to Mae Sariang Hospital for further treatment. At the hospital, he received a blood and urine test, as well as a kidney, ureter, and bladder (KUB) x-ray. The doctor informed him that he has a stone in his left kidney. The doctor then referred him to Suandok Hospital in Chiang Mai for further treatment. On 29 July 2020, Bu saw the doctor at Chiang Mai Hospital. The doctor told him that he needed to undergo an intravenous pyelogram (IVP), a type of diagnostic test that uses an injection of contrast material to evaluate the kidneys, ureters, and bladder. Once he underwent the IVP, the doctor diagnosed him with a type of kidney stone called a staghorn stone. Bu was then scheduled to receive surgery to remove the kidney stone on 16 August 2020. Unable to pay for his treatment, MI referred Bu to Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance accessing surgery. Currently, Bu experiences back pain and a burning sensation while urinating. He sometimes experiences headaches and cannot breathe well because of the severe pain. In his free time, his favorite thing to do is to help with household chores and grow vegetables for his family. Now, Burma Children Medical Fund needs your help in funding the cost of Bu's $1,500 surgery. Bu shared, “I still experience back pain and a burning sensation while urinating. Sometimes due to the pain, I have a headache and I have difficulty breathing. But I am very excited that I will be free from this prolonged pain after surgery."

$1,500raised
Fully funded