Fredrik Olovsson
Fredrik's Story

Fredrik joined Watsi on April 10th, 2015. 9 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Fredrik's most recent donation traveled 4,500 miles to support Soe, a young woman from Burma, to treat painful gallstones.

Impact

Fredrik has funded healthcare for 12 patients in 5 countries.

Patients funded by Fredrik

Soe is a 27-year-old woman who lives with her husband in Burma. Soe came to our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP), seeking treatment for gallstones. The gallbladder—a small, pear-shaped organ that sits under the liver—stores and drains bile. When an individual has gallstones, bile drainage may be blocked, causing irritation, spasms, pain, nausea, and vomiting. “Soe is experiencing stomach and lower back pain making it difficult for her to sleep and eat,” BBP tells us. “Usually, when she eats, she feels nauseous and needs to vomit.” Until recently, Soe had a job as a waitress at a hotel restaurant in Thailand, but her symptoms made it impossible for her to work. Facing financial trouble, she and her husband returned to Burma in the hopes of finding treatment for Soe and receiving support from their family. For $1,500, Soe will undergo a laparotomy, a surgical procedure to access the abdominal cavity and remove the gallbladder. Funding also covers the costs of an eight-day hospital stay, transportation to and from the hospital, pre- and post-surgical consultations, and blood tests. “Soe should fully recover following her gallstone surgery,” says BBP. “She should be able to return to her family and again find a job so that she and her husband can save money for their future.” Soe looks forward to a successful operation. “I will work and save money for the next few years, and then, one day, we will have a happy family,” she shared in her pre-operative interview with BBP.

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Charles is an 11-year-old student in Haiti living with a congenital heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). This means Charles has a hole between the two chambers of his heart, and a muscular blockage of one of the heart's valves. As a result, Charles's heart cannot deliver enough oxygen to his body, making him sickly and weak. TOF carries a 35% mortality rate in the first year of life, and a 50% mortality rate in the first three years of life. It can also cause delayed growth and development later in life. Charles lives with his parents, younger brother, cousins and their family. He is in fourth grade, but his illness caused him to stop school late last year. He likes math and science, and would like to be an engineer or architect when he grows up. Charles needs surgical intervention to repair his heart. The goal is to repair the defects, including enlarging the blocked heart valve and patching the hole to improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to his lungs. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, works to maintain a network of overseas referral hospitals in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere that are capable of accepting cases too complex to be attempted in-country. They organize not only the cost of the surgery, but also host family stay, airline fees, food, and travel insurance for the patient and parents for the duration of the medical care. Through Haiti Cardiac Alliance, $5,000 of the total cost has been subsidized by the Health City Cayman Islands, a medically advanced tertiary hospital located in Grand Cayman. Haiti Cardiac Alliance tells us that Charles’ family needs an additional $1,500 to cover the costs. Following surgery, normal blood flow should be restored to Charles's heart and he should not have any further cardiac symptoms. "I am excited to have this surgery so that I can go back to school and play with my friends again,” says Charles.

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Brian, a 35-year-old Kenyan man, came to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), seeking treatment for a leg injury sustained earlier this year in a hit-and-run accident involving a motorcycle. “Since then,” explains AMHF, “he is unable to work and relies solely on his family.” Brian’s condition, chronic osteomyelitis of the right tibia, is an infection of his lower leg bone resulting from his injury. Typical symptoms include recurring pain, redness, swelling, and bone loss. Currently, “Brian is experiencing pain and inability to use his right leg,” AMHF tells us. “If not treated, Brian is at risk of pathological fracture of the tibia.” Treatment of osteomyelitis is a surgical technique to regenerate bone lost as a result of the infection. In this technique—known as bone transport—an orthopedic surgeon breaks the involved bone and attaches the bone fragments to an external fixation device. As the fracture begins to heal, the external fixator is adjusted to pull the healing fracture apart approximately one millimeter per day. Separating the fragments in this manner promotes bone growth and results in the restoration of the lost bone over time. After the accident, Brian was treated surgically, but the procedure was unsuccessful, and he cannot pay for the additional surgery that he needs. $1,500 in funding pays for the bone transport surgery as well as 12 days of hospital care, antibiotic therapy, and physiotherapy. Brian’s family has saved $110 to cover additional costs associated with his care. “We expect after a bone transport, Brian's leg will heal,” shares AMHF. “He will be able to use his leg again. Brian will be able to work.” "I had planned to marry and provide for my family before this accident,” says Brian. “I really hope I will be able to do that after this surgery.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Meet Bwanakei, a three-month-old baby boy from Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us, “Bwanakei has an abnormal head size due to accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain.” Bwanakei’s swelling is caused by a condition called hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an excess of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up, creating heavily pressurized areas in the brain. As Bwanakei grows and develops throughout his childhood, this condition could pose serious health complications, including vision loss and limited physical mobility. AMHF tells us, if Bwanakei “is not treated, the accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid may cause brain damage.” Bwanakei’s Parents are subsistence farmers who not only provide for their eight children, but also for Bwanakei’s grandparents. AMHF explains that, Bwanakei’s parents have a hard time “harvesting crops from their small piece of land because there are wild animals nearby that destroy their crops.” AMHF adds, “They are therefore not able to raise funds for Bwanakei’s treatment.” With $980 in funding Bwanakei will receive a surgery where a stunt will be put in his head to reroute the cerebral spinal fluid to the abdomen, where it can be more easily absorbed. AMHF believes this surgery will prevent brain damage. Bwanakei’s father shares, “I came here in faith with nothing but bus fare for my wife and child. I am hopeful that Bwanakei will get treated.”

$980raised
Fully funded