Lorraine HealyUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Lorraine's Story

Lorraine joined Watsi on November 10th, 2014. Nine years ago, Lorraine joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Lorraine's most recent donation traveled 8,700 miles to support Baby of Diana, a newborn baby twin from Tanzania, to fund clubfoot surgery.

Impact

Lorraine has funded healthcare for 110 patients in 15 countries.

Patients funded by Lorraine

Salato is a 5-year-old boy from Tanzania. He is a part of the Maasai tribe and comes from a large Maasai family with seven children. His father is a livestock keeper. Due to their remote location, the family relies on livestock and selling cattle as their main source of income to cover their expenses. Salato was diagnosed with genu valgus. His legs bow inward so that his knees knock. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, Salato faces difficulty walking long distances and experiences considerable discomfort due to the abnormal gait he has developed. This condition has also limited his ability to help his father with the livestock and hampers his ability to socialize with others. During an outreach visit from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), Salato and his parents had the opportunity to attend a clinic where he received education about his condition. The church kindly assisted in facilitating his transportation to the hospital. Upon arrival, the team warmly welcomed him and conducted a thorough assessment. As a result, a plan was formulated to correct the abnormality in his right leg surgically. However, Salato and his parents are unable to afford the costs associated with his treatment. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. Salato will undergo a corrective procedure on August 2nd. Treatment will hopefully restore Salato's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. AMH is requesting $880 to cover the cost of Salato's treatment. Salato’s guardian says, “He often feels left out when he can’t socialize with his peers. We hope the treatment will help him fit in his society.”

$880raised
Fully funded

Festo is a 3-year-old boy and the seventh child in his family of eight. His family resides in a remote village called Itenka in the Mpanda district. Both of his parents engage in small-scale farming, earning just enough to cover their daily expenses. However, with the older children attending school, the parents are doing their best to manage both educational expenses and other day-to-day needs. During the initial stages of learning how to walk, Festo's parents noticed that he displayed signs of bowed legs. Initially, they attributed it to his newly acquired walking skills and assumed that his bones were not strong enough. However, at age of two, he was diagnosed with bilateral varus, characterized by bilateral knocking of the knees, which significantly hinders his ability to move around comfortably. Festo quickly becomes fatigued and experiences pain while attempting to walk. Furthermore, his overall health has been unstable, largely due to malnutrition. Fortunately, our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) can help. Festo is scheduled for corrective surgery on August 1st, and AMH is requesting $880 to fund the procedure. Treatment will hopefully restore Festo's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Festo’s mother shared, “I hope my boy to grow older free from any kind of disability. I hope he gets the right treatment that will make it possible to have a good life in the future.”

$880raised
Fully funded