Caroline Chang
Caroline's Story

Caroline joined Watsi on January 30th, 2023. 30 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Caroline's most recent donation traveled 8,800 miles to support Sokhom, a 49 year-old farmer from Cambodia, to fund ear surgery.

Impact

Caroline has funded healthcare for 5 patients in 3 countries.

Patients funded by Caroline

Sokhom is a 49-year-old mother of four from Cambodia. She lives in a rural area around two hours from the nearest specialist clinic. Sokhom and her husband are rice farmers. They have one child, in the 6th grade, living at home with them, while the three older children live near a factory where they work. In her free time, Sokhom studies Buddhist books and farms vegetables at her house. Years ago, Sokhom had an ear infection that caused her right eardrum to perforate. For this reason, Sokhom experiences pain and frequent discharge in her ear. She has difficulty hearing and frequently feels feverish and unwell. Sokhom traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On February 27th, she will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in her right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation in her ear drum. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $487 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. She shared, "I hope I can stop this problem and make my hearing better so I can feel healthy and take care of my family."

$5raised
$482to go

Sok is an 80 year-old retired rice farmer from Kompong Thom province. Since her husband died five years ago, she has been living alone. Her six children and twelve grandchildren live in neighboring villages. The family checks in on her often, but it has become increasingly difficult for Sok to go out on her own due to deteriorating vision. She misses going to the pagoda to pray and taking walks. Her favorite things are her grandchildren and listening to Buddhist radio. About one year ago, Sok developed a cataract in her left eye, causing her itchiness, tearing, and blurry vision. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, so it is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, including colors and faces, and is worried about falling when walking, so is not able to go places on her own. When Sok learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three hours seeking treatment. On March 7th, doctors will perform a small incision cataract surgery and an intraocular lens implant in her left eye. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, she needs help to fund this $253 procedure. Sok shared, "I hope after surgery I can see better, easily go out on my own, and recognize my family."

$5raised
$248to go

Yusufu is a bright student. He is a young 8-year-old boy from Mpanda, Tanzania, with dreams of attending school. His parents work as farmers supporting their large family of ten children. As the ninth child in his family, his parents have made every effort to make ends meet. Yusufu has clubfoot of the right foot. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Yusufu finds it hard to go to school because it is far from home, and he cannot help much on the farm. Financial hardships have made it nearly impossible for his parents to provide Yusufu with the urgent care he requires. Fortunately, Yusufu's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, The Plaster House NGO. There, the team will begin clubfoot treatment on September 15. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $935 to fund Yusufu's clubfoot repair. After treatment, Yusufu’s ability to walk will be restored and he will no longer experience severe pain. Yusufu can't wait to be treated so that he can go to school easily and help his family work on their farm. Yusufu says, "I wish to be able to play with my friends comfortably and help my parents around the farm.”

$935raised
Fully funded

Mary is a 51-year-old mother of one and considers herself blessed as she was unable to conceive for a long time. As a single mother, Mary rents a two-roomed semi-permanent house where amenities are outside of the house. She is a farmer and supports herself with the little produce grown on her farms. For the past five years, Mary has been experiencing severe lower abdominal pains. She has been diagnosed with multiple uterine myomas. Recently, the pains have been quite severe, affecting her ability to work and move comfortably in day-to-day tasks. This has affected Mary's performance and she hopes to be treated and relieved of the pain. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On January 19th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Mary needs help raising $219 to fund her procedure and care. Once recovered, Mary will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Mary says “I will praise God when the condition is no more so that I can live a better life and do farming to sustain myself."

$219raised
Fully funded

Elvis is a primary school student and the eldest of three children. Elvis's father is an electrician while his mother is a small-scale farmer. Their family owns a three-room mud house. For two months, Elvis has had a right hydrocele that has caused swelling on his groin. Elvis's mother discovered this condition while he was bathing. As time went on, the swelling increased in size, and while Elvis reports minimal pain, he does have constant headaches and feels unwell. This condition prevents Elvis from participating in movement and activities he enjoys, like football. Elvis was examined at Rushoroza Hospital and hernia repair surgery was recommended, but his parents cannot afford the procedure at this time. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, are helping Elvis's family raise $170 to fund this life altering surgery. Once completed, this procedure will allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Elvis's father shared, “I am very much worried about my son’s condition if not treated on time. I pray that he may get well with surgery so that he can continue with studies.”

$170raised
Fully funded