Michael Zhu
Michael's Story

Michael joined Watsi on October 3rd, 2018. 16 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Michael's most recent donation supported Jelly, a mother and refugee from Thailand, to fund a lens replacement surgery.

Impact

Michael has funded healthcare for 28 patients in 8 countries.

Patients funded by Michael

Jelly is a 50-year-old woman living in Thailand. She lives with her youngest son, cousin, younger brother, sister-in-law as well as her niece and nephew in Mae La Refugee Camp. In the camp, Jelly and her household receive 1,200 baht (approx. 40 USD) every month on a cash card, to purchase rations. Jelly looks after the household chores, while her cousin and her sister-in-law are teachers at a school, each earning 1,000 baht (approx. 34 USD) per month. Her brother is a famous cook in the camp who earns a few hundred baht cooking for public events. Jelly's niece and her son are students, and her other son studies at a migrant school in nearby Mae Sot. She cannot support him financially and he receives a scholarship to study for free. Jelly loves going to church every Sunday with her family, and also loves to play with her niece and nephew. Three months ago, Jelly was brought to Mae Sot Hospital when she developed blurry vision. At the hospital, an ophthalmologist checked both of her eyes. After the examination, the doctor diagnosed her left eye with a cataract, a condition where the lens in the eye gradually becomes clouded. Currently, Jelly can only ascertain if it is dark or bright outside with her left eye. She is unable to see distant things clearly with her right eye. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement eye surgery for Jelly. On February 2nd, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Jelly's natural lens and replace it with an intraocular lens implant. After recovery, she will be able to see clearly. Now, Jelly needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Jelly shared, "My blurred vision causes me stress and it is difficult for me to do anything. When I cook, the smoke makes my eyes dry so I cannot see anything and now I am in too much discomfort to cook for my family because of my blurred vision.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Gabriel is a 46-year-old refugee from South Sudan. He is a father of six children aged between 2-19 years old. Currently, Gabriel and his family are staying in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya fleeing civil conflict in their home country. In June 2020, Gabriel had an accident and broke his arm. He underwent surgery in his hometown of Juba in the same month and was discharged home from the hospital. However, his left arm started developing further complications, and he was forced to seek treatment in Kenya after his family left Sudan. Gabriel has chronic osteomyelitis of the left humerus and infected hardware in his arm. Gabriel has undergone 3 surgeries, including humeral debridement, hardware removal, and bone cementing. Doctors recommend another urgent sequestrectomy surgery on his left humerus to remove the infected hardware. If left untreated, he risks impediment of blood circulation within the bone leading to bone death and even amputation. Unfortunately, this procedure is costly for Gabriel and his family. He does not currently have a job, nor any medical coverage. Due to the support of well-wishers, friends, and family, Gabriel has been able to raise some money for his earlier medical and surgical concerns. However, he was forced to postpone his surgery due to lack of funds. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Gabriel receive treatment. He is scheduled to undergo a sequestrectomy on December 2nd at our medical partner's care center. This procedure will cost $1,500, and he appeals for financial help to fund the cost of his care. Gabriel shared, “I am in so much pain and there have been so many surgeries for me. I need assistance on this one.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Yar is a 18-year-old girl from Thailand. She lives with her parents, three younger sisters and three younger brothers in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. Yar and her parents are all too ill to work and are homemakers, while her siblings are students. Her family relies on the monthly food allowance they receive from an organization to get by. They also grow vegetables for themselves to supplement this income. Yar completed grade nine, but felt too ill to return to school this year. In her free time, she likes to weave traditional Karen bags for her siblings and help her mother with household chores. One day in early January 2020, Yar started to experience neck pain, fevers, and chills. When she went to the refugee camp’s hospital, run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), she was diagnosed with tonsillitis and was given oral paink medication and antibiotics. During her follow-up appointment, the medic gave her more of the same medications. After her follow-up appointment, Yar felt a small growth with her tongue inside her bottom left jaw behind her front teeth. She told the medic about this at her next appointment, but it was not checked out and she received more oral medication each week until the beginning of June 2020. During this time, the mass increased in size. In June, she was referred to Umphang Hospital, which then referred her to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for surgery. IRC brought Yar to MSH, where she received a physical examination, a CT-scan, and a biopsy of the mass. The CT result indicated that the mass was benign. In July, when she went back to MSH for her follow-up appointment, the doctor removed the mass in her mouth as well as five of her lower front teeth during surgery. Since the surgery, Yar has experienced swelling where the mass was removed. Daily, she experiences an achy pain in her lower left jaw, her neck and her back. The mass has also returned and is increasing in size. IRC referred Yar to Watsi's Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance accessing treatment in Chiang Mai Hospital. After reviewing a CT scan to confirm her diagnosis, the doctor in Chiang Mai recommended she move forward with surgery to remove the tumor. Now, she is scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on December 3rd. She is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Yar shared, "I am scared to receive surgery but I believe that I will be recovered after that so I am happy."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Soe is a 13-year-old from Burma. She lives with her parents and two siblings in a village in Taninthary Division. Her brother goes to school while her little sister is still too young to go. Soe was not able to go back to school this year, after she completed grade seven, due to her illness. Her father works as a tenant on Soe grandparents’ farm and gets to keep half of the harvest. Soe's mother used to be a vegetable vendor but has stopped working to look after Soe. In May 2019, Soe fell sick with a high fever and a severe cough. She was brought to a clinic where she received a physical examination. The doctor informed Soe's mother that she has a heart condition and urged them to go to a hospital in Yangon. Her mother followed the doctor’s advice and took her to Bahosi Hospital in Yangon on June 25th, 2019. There she received an echocardiogram (echo), x-ray, and a blood test. After her results came in, the doctor diagnosed her with mitral valve regurgitation, a problem with one of the valves in her heart, and told Soe's mother that she needs to have surgery that will cost 8,000,000 kyat (approx. 8,000 USD). Unable to afford her treatment, Soe instead received medication for the next four months. Although she took the medication, Soe did not feel better. One day, their neighbor told them to bring Soe to another hospital in Yangon. Soe's mother followed their advice and took her to Vitoria Hospital in Yangon. Soe received another echo, blood test, and an x-ray. A doctor at the hospital then told Soe's mother to come back the next month, without explaining why. When they traveled back in January 2020 for her appointment, the doctor told them to meet a cardiac nurse at another hospital in Yangon. When meeting that nurse, she told them about Watsi's Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) and that they may be able to assist her in accessing further treatment. With the help of BCMF, Soe went to Chiang Mai in March 2020. She was admitted at Lampang Hospital on July 25th, 2020 and received surgery to repair her mitral valve two days later. She was discharged home in August and received a follow-up appointment for a month later. When she returned for her follow-up appointment, she was readmitted to the hospital. She received a number of tests including an echo and an electrocardiogram. Once the doctor reviewed her test results, she was told that the sutures from her surgery were loose and that she would need to receive surgery to replace her mitral valve. Since her first surgery, Soe no longer has a cough. However, she is pale. Her mother is worried because Soe has not gained weight nor has her condition gradually improved like other heart patients after surgery. “After she recovers, I want to send her to school until she becomes a teacher," said Soe's mother. "When she plays with her friends, she pretends she is a teacher and that she is teaching her friends. Even when she felt sick, she would try to go to school and she always studied a lot. Her teacher loves her. But Soe is always worried that she will fail her exams.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Htun is a 15-year-old student from Thailand. He lives with his aunt, uncle, three cousins, and a cousin-in-law in a town in Tak Province. Htun is in eighth grade and goes to a Burmese migrant school. Htun has two older brothers who work in a factory in Bangkok. They support Htun occasionally by sending money to Htun's aunt. His aunt, his older pregnant cousin, and his cousin-in-law are homemakers. His two other cousins are students at a Thai school, while his uncle is a farmer who grows rice and corn. Htun's uncle earns a living as a farmer and delivery driver. In his free time, Htun likes to draw cartoons and play cane ball with his friends. On June 8th 2020, Htun was driving back home on his motorbike after visiting his friend. While driving home it began to rain and he fell, landing on his left wrist. Currently, Htun cannot move his wrist and it is swollen and painful. Although he took pain medication, it has not helped him. At night, he feels uncomfortable and cannot sleep well because of the pain. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Htun will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for July 3 and will cost $1,500. After surgery, Htun will be able to move his wrist and will no longer be in pain. Htun and his family need your help to fund the cost of this surgery. Htun shared, “I am very sad and worry that my hand will not be normal after surgery. In the future, I want to become a famous can ball player."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Nay is a 35-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her husband in Mae Pa Village in Tak Province. One and half year ago, they moved from Shwegyin Township, Bago Division in Burma for a better job opportunities. Nay stopped working as a day laborer because her health deteriorated. Now, her husband is the only earner and he is also a day laborer making limited income. Around eight months ago, Nay had a high fever and stomachache. She was also vomited a few times so her employer took her to Mae Tao Clinic (MTC). When she arrived, she received an IV as well as oral medications. She was admitted for one day and then she felt better and returned home. Two days later after she got home, she felt stomachache again in the right side and also vomited. Again, her employer took her back to MTC and she was admitted again. She received oral medications as well as an ultrasound test. After an ultrasound, the medic informed her that she has a stone in her common bile duct as well as in the intrahepatic duct. She was then referred to Watsi Medical Partner Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further investigation. At MSH she received another ultrasound as well as a blood test and an X-ray. She was given oral medications to take home and she was asked to return to the hospital once a month for follow up. She went to MSH several times for follow-up appointments and she kept receiving oral medications for her stomachache problem. On February 11th, she went back to MSH as usual and she received another blood test. After that she was told that she has stone in her common bile duct and she needs to be admitted for surgery to remove the stone. Nay has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, Nay's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Nay is scheduled to undergo her cholecystectomy on March 24th. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of Nay's procedure and care. Nay said, “I want to work after my surgery so that our family will have enough income and now I am very sad that because of my condition we may have to borrow money from our neighbor.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded