Alex's Story

Alex joined Watsi on October 16th, 2015. Seven years ago, Alex joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Alex's most recent donation supported Noel, a happy toddler from Tanzania, to fund burn surgery.

Impact

Alex has funded healthcare for 48 patients in 12 countries.

Patients funded by Alex

Immanuel is a 2-year-old child from Kenya and the last born in a family of four. His parents are both casual laborers who earn an average of $3 per day. His mother washes clothes while his father works in construction sites where they earn a daily wage. Immanuel’s parent’s income is inconsistent since they depend on the availability of work. In mid-June this year, Immanuel was playing in the kitchen as his mother prepared supper for the family. He dipped his left hand into a boiling pot of potatoes when his mother stepped out to fetch more firewood for the broth. He let out a loud scream which made his mother rush back to the kitchen only to find him burnt and in pain. Immanuel suffered burns on his chest and left arm. He is not healing well and he is prone to infection. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Immanuel receive treatment. On September 21st, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure. This treatment will help clean his wounds and cover them with skin so as to reduce the risk of infection and improve his healing. Now, Immanuel needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Immanuel's mother shared, “For over two months now we have tried to source help for my baby to get this needed treatment. Unfortunately, we have been unsuccessful. The wounds are refusing to heal and his elbow has become immobile and stiff. This might affect him now and in the future, if something is not done soon.”

$1,185raised
Fully funded

Ree is a 44-year-old man who lives with his wife, two sons, and his daughter in Mae Ra Ma Laung Refugee Camp in Thailand. Ree and his family used to live in a village in Hpa-pun Township in Karen State, Burma. However, due to conflict between armed groups in his area, they fled to the refugee camp in 2006. Every month Ree’s family receives 1,244 baht (approx. 42 USD) from The Border Consortium (TBC), an organization that provides support to refugees in camps. He also works as a caregiver for the elderly in the camp, for the organization Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees. He earns 1,100 baht (approx. 37 USD) each month for this. All of his children go to school in the camp while his wife works as a cook at one of the schools. On March 14, 2020, Ree slipped and fell on his right forearm while he was carrying a heavy load. When he got up, he was not able to move his right hand and he thought he had broken his forearm. Ree did not seek help at the camp’s medical centre and instead wrapped traditional herbal medicine onto his right forearm. As time passed, Ree could still not use his right arm and the pain in his arm did not go away. Eventually, on May 10th, he went to the camp’s hospital, run by Malteser International Thailand (MI). At the hospital, he was diagnosed with a fractured right forearm that had not healed properly. He was referred to the local Mae Sariang Hospital and received an x-ray on May 12th. The result indicated that he had fractured one of the two bones in his forearm. The doctor at the hospital then referred Ree to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center Chiang Mai Hospital (CMH) for further management and treatment. The following day, MI staff brought Ree to CMH. Once he met with the doctor, the doctor told him that he will need to receive surgery for his arm to heal properly. Currently, Ree is still in pain and his right arm is sore and not in use. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Ree will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for May 21st and will cost $1,500. His arm will no longer be in pain and he hopes he will be able to go back to his old job helping the elderly in the refugee camp. While smiling he said, “I have been struggling to do tasks for the past month without using my right hand which is hard as I am right handed. I cannot wait to use my right arm again!”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Nan Lay is a 22-year-old woman from Burma. She works as a medic at a clinic near her village. In her free time, she enjoys reading health-related books to gain more knowledge on the work she does. In 2014, while she was attending the medic training at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), she had a fever which was followed by pain in her back and her right abdomen. Although she had ultrasound done at the clinic, the result showed normal. She was just treated for urinary tract infection, and she felt better after five days. In 2016, she again experienced pain in her abdomen but this time was on the left side. She went to a clinic in Taunggyi, Burma, where she again had an ultrasound imaging test. The result this time revealed a stone in her left ureter. The doctor told her to undergo surgery to remove the stone but because she could not afford the surgical cost 800,000 kyat (approx. 800 USD), she just asked for medication. Since then she had a few episode of severe abdominal pain, and she went to different hospitals in Burma to seek treatment but the doctors kept telling her that she needed surgery. One day in 2019, Nan Lay ran into a friend who also had the same kind of health condition as hers. Her friend told her about the assistance she received at Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) and advised her to ask for help there. Nan Lay then went to MTC, a partner organisation of BCMF. After confirming her diagnosis, MTC referred her to BCMF. Nan Lay still is experiencing back pain at the moment. She worries that her pain will increase when she has to travel. She has pain at her back and at suprapubic area, especially when she sits for a longer period of time and/or when she drinks insufficiently. Although she wants to continue learning and attending more training on medical and health, her health problem has limited her ability to finish her trainings. Nan Lay said, “After I recover from this condition, I will save money so that I can open a small shop, for my parents, to sell dry foods."

$1,500raised
Fully funded