Peter Deppisch
Peter's Story

Peter joined Watsi on March 12th, 2013. 1,770 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Peter's most recent donation traveled 7,400 miles to support Liza, an 8-year-old girl from Cambodia, to fund a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy.

Impact

Peter has funded healthcare for 14 patients in 8 countries.

Patients funded by Peter

Snow is a 20-year-old woman who likes to play volleyball and the violin, listen to music, and weave traditional Karen clothes for herself. She currently lives with 36 other female students in her school’s dormitory, which is located in Burma. Originally from Mae La Oon Refugee Camp in Thailand, where her family still lives, she moved to the dormitory to study Women’s Leadership and Management at the beginning of this year. At the dormitory and school run by Karen Women’s Organization (KWO), she receives free food, tuition, and accommodations. Although she does not have a source of income, all of her basic needs are covered by KWO. After she graduates in April 2023, Snow plans to work with KWO for two years before moving back to the refugee camp to live with her family. This past June, Snow woke up feeling bloated in her abdominal area. A few days later, she also began experiencing pain in her lower left abdomen. After notifying a teacher, she was brought in to the free clinic, where she received an ultrasound and was informed that she has a cyst located on the left side of her lower abdomen. The medic notified her teacher that Snow would need to go across the border to Thailand to visit our medical partner's care center, Mae Sariang Hospital, for further investigation. When Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW) was finally able to arrange transportation for Snow, she arrived at a KDHW safe house in Mae Sariang on August 1st. She visited Mae Sariang Hospital with a KDHW staff member the following day. After receiving an ultrasound and a blood test, Snow was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst on her left ovary. The doctor told her that she would need to undergo surgery to remove her left ovary. She may also require a partial hysterectomy, which is a procedure to remove the uterus, since the cyst is very large. However, they will only remove her uterus if absolutely necessary since they want to ensure she has the ability to have children in the future if she chooses to. Since Snow does not have a source of income, she is not able to fund her needed treatment on her own. Fortunately, KDHW staff referred her to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), for assistance in accessing further treatment. Snow is now scheduled to undergo an oophorectomy, the surgical removal of one or both of the ovaries, on August 10th. BCMF is requesting $1,005 to fund her needed surgery and care. Snow has had to take time off from her studies to seek medical care, but she plans to resume once she receives treatment. She shares that both she and her family have been worried since they learned that she will need surgery. Snow says, “I am worried about my condition, and I am worried that I will not recover. I have never been sick before, which makes me feel stressed about my condition.”

$1,005raised
Fully funded

Jue is a 25-year-old woman who lives with her family in a village in Hmawbi Township, Yangon Division, Burma. Her parents are housekeepers, and her youngest brother is a first-year university student who has been seeking work. Jue used to run a beauty salon, but had to stop working four months ago when her health deteriorated. In her free time, Jue likes to watch the news and videos relating to her work at the beauty salon. She also likes to read books and wants to write a book of her own someday. In August 2020, Jue felt pains in her stomach and chest. She would also experience difficulty breathing sometimes, and she would feel tired when she walked for a longer period of time. Jue went to the clinic in her village, where she received oral medication, but she did not feel better after taking it. She returned to the clinic several times over the course of two months, but her condition continued to worsen – the chest pain, difficulty breathing and feeling of fatigue happened more often. Jue decided to go to another clinic in North Okkala Township in Yangon in November 2020. At the clinic, the doctor listened to her heart with a stethoscope, and informed her that she has a congenital heart condition. The doctor recommended she receive a blood test, an echocardiogram (echo) and an electrocardiogram (ecg) at a hospital. After visiting a hospital to receive those tests, the doctor there told her that she was born with a hole in her heart and that she might need to receive surgery at the general hospital. However, the cost of surgery was too high. Luckily, Jue crossed paths with another former patient and was referred to Watsi's Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) to seek assistance with accessing treatment. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On January 24th, U Win will undergo an atrial septal defect closure procedure. Once recovered, her quality of life will significantly improve and she will be able to return to working at her beauty salon. Now, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Jue shared, “I want to get better as quickly as possible and go back to work. I’m worried about my younger brother. He doesn’t have a job, and he needs to graduate from university. I’m also worried about Covid-19 because nobody has a job right now.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Naw Htee is a 30-year-old woman from Thailand. In 2006, Naw Htee and her family fled from Karen State, Burma to Thailand because there were conflicts between the armed groups and the country's military in their village. She now lives in a refugee camp with her family. In 2010, Naw Htee felt a severe toothache while she and her parents were visiting her village in Burma. She went to the nearest local clinic, where she had her molar teeth extracted. After the procedure, Naw Htee was in extreme pain; she could not even open her mouth as she used to. She was told that pain after tooth extraction is normal and that the pain will be diminished if she takes painkillers. Naw Htee tolerated the pain and hoped for the pain to be gone. Since then, Naw Htee could barely open her mouth. Naw Htee was too afraid to tell about her condition to anyone. She carried this burden for almost 9 years, until she decided to seek help. She then visited the clinic in the refugee camp. After trying oral medication and since her condition remained the same, she was referred to Mae Sariang General Hospital (MSGH) in July 2019. There, she received an x-ray, and the doctor diagnosed her with Ankylosis of the Temporamandibular joint [TMJ], stiffness of a joint due to abnormal adhesion and rigidity of the bones of the joint of jaw. She was then referred on to Chiang Mai Hospital (CMH) as MSGH does not have capacity to treat her condition. Once at CMH, the doctor told Naw Htee that she needs to undergo a special x-ray prior to receiving treatment. Doctors want Naw Htee to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $469 to cover the cost of Naw Htee's CT scan and care, scheduled for February 5th. Naw Htee mentioned, “I wanted to be a healthy, strong and supportive mother, even without the support of their father.”

$693raised
Fully funded