Mackinnon EngenUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Mackinnon's Story

Mackinnon joined Watsi on December 21st, 2019. Two years ago, Mackinnon joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Mackinnon's most recent donation traveled 4,200 miles to support Erick, a 5-month-old baby from Bolivia, to fund heart surgery to close holes in his heart.

Team
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Watsi

16 members

Impact

Mackinnon has funded healthcare for 143 patients in 12 countries.

patients you have funded

Angelika is a caring daughter from the Philippines. The eldest of 5 children, she stopped studying due to inadequate finances, and also to support her younger siblings. Her mother works as a part-time laundress, while her father is still recovering from tuberculosis. Despite her eagerness to support her family, she failed to land a job because of her medical condition. In 2021, Angelika began to experience troubling symptoms, including sudden weight loss, bulging eyes, and amenorrhea. Worried about her condition, she decided to be checked by a doctor. She was advised to undergo series of tests. She was diagnosed with Papillary thyroid carcinoma, which appears as an irregular solid or cystic mass or nodule. It is the most frequent thyroid neoplasm and carries the best overall prognosis. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Angelika receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on December 17th at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is raising the remaining $890 to cover the cost of Angelika's procedure and care. Angelika shared, "Once treated, I'd be able to apply for jobs and will be able to support my family again. Thank you for this opportunity, WATSI, and World Surgical Foundation Philippines. May the Lord bless you."

$890raised
Fully funded

Festus is a cheerful boy who always has a friendly smile and a joyful, resilient spirit. The fifth born of six children, he is a third grader at a nearby primary school. His parents are small scale farmers who plant maize and beans for consumption and sale. Two of his siblings are in high school and the others are in primary school. His parents sell their farm produce in order to pay their school fees and manage their daily needs. Festus has had a long stay in hospital with an infected wound and multiple surgeries, two debridement surgeries and nerve repair after he sustained a deep cut in his left hand. He now needs a skin graft to cover the damaged area. The decision to perform the skin graft was recommended by his doctors because his wound has not healed after a long time. After undergoing three surgeries, Festus feels traumatized when he enters the operation theatre. His mother is worries that he might lose his hand if not treated. Their family has had to undergo counselling to promote resilience and assurance that everything will be okay, and that Festus will be able to use his hand again. After all this, the family is looking forward to the results of the surgery with excitement. His family is asking any well-wisher to support them in this time of need, as they need $1,089 to fund the skin graft. Festus's mother says, “It’s been a long journey for my son. For the last one week I haven’t slept well just thinking of his health. I hope he gets treated and will be well again.”

$1,089raised
Fully funded

Titus is a hardworking 24-year-old from Kenya. He is the only child to his single mother, who sells tea and porridge at the market. Due to their financial situation, Titus was compelled to drop out of high school and do casual labor jobs to support his mother. Together with his mother, they live in his uncles’ home who is a small-scale farmer. Titus also helps his uncle with farm work. A month ago, Titus fell at work and his hand was cut by a sharp object. Titus went to a nearby facility where his wound was sutured because the fracture was open, and a splint was applied in order to stabilize the fracture. Now he cannot work using his hand and therefore he depends entirely on his mother. When he realized that there was no improvement of his injury, Titus visited a nearby facility where he was referred to our medical partner's care center Kapsowar Hospital. On physical examination, the surgeon told him that he required an urgent surgery in order to repair his tendon and fix his fracture which had taken time to heal. Titus has no medical insurance and is worried about how he can pay for the care he needs. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On September 27th, Titus will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Titus will be able to go back to his work and continue to earn a living. He will be able to assist his mother. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $941 to fund this procedure. Titus says, “I get my income through working with my hands. Now that I cannot use them, I feel so bad. I don’t want to burden my mother who is also struggling. Kindly help me.”

$941raised
Fully funded