Vibeesh's Story

Vibeesh joined Watsi on February 3rd, 2016. Eight years ago, Vibeesh joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Vibeesh's most recent donation traveled 8,200 miles to support Amare, a creative and bright boy from Ethiopia, to fund bladder surgery.

Impact

Vibeesh has funded healthcare for 100 patients in 11 countries.

Patients funded by Vibeesh

Amare is a brave, social young boy who is smart and good at communicating. He hails from Ethiopia and loves to play with his friends. He shared that he loves innovating new things - like making a tuk tuk and a mobile toy with metal wire and wood. Amare loves to study and read books. He also loves to help his mom at home with cleaning and making stew and coffee. Amare is the third child of his parents. His mom lost ten children, both in her womb and after they were born. She was heartbroken when she conceived Amare as she thought that he wouldn’t grow up. When Amare's mother gave birth to him, she was traveling by foot to a marketplace and she gave birth on the road. She shared that she saw he had a wound and was scared that he would die. She took him to Sekota hospital. The doctor told her that the disease was curable by surgery and that he would live with care. He referred them to another hospital and she brought Amare there when he was a seven month-old baby. She was informed that he was too young for the complex procedure. She brought him again when he was two years-old. She got the same response, to come back when he is older. Then, Amare's mother lost hope in modern medicine. She told us that she started to go to church and apply holy water to her baby. But his condition stayed with him. She got sad and, in her words, "left it all to God". Both mom and dad are traditional farmers. They harvest once in a year because they get rain only in one season. They couldn’t use irrigation since there was no river near their field. They travel for thirty minutes to get underground spring water for drinking and cooking. They have one cow for their milk consumption. For these reasons, they can’t afford the medical bills for their son. Amare was born with a congenital anomaly called bladder exstrophy. That is an abnormally open bladder from the front. His bladder is open to the air, which results in leaking urine directly to his abdomen. He has suffered from pain from the irritation of the bladder, infection & smell from the continuous urinary leakage. Mom is very much worried and concerned because of his condition. His required treatment is called a mainz pouch procedure which is diverting his urination to another opening & making a pouch bladder from bowel. His surgery is scheduled for March 7th. His family needs help raising the $1,500 to fund the surgery. Amare said, “My friends from school and the neighborhood say I smell. I felt bad about it and tried to stay away from my friends. I like playing with my friends but nowadays what I prefer is to study at home alone. Or to be with my mother and help her with work.” Amare's mom said, “My neighbors talk, so when there is holiday party at home I let him stay at the outside kitchen. If there is clean cloth, he [can] change and mingle in the party but mostly he stays away. Amare said to me ‘If I couldn’t get treatment and heal while you are alive I will never heal and survive.' Because I don’t have any hope with my siblings and relatives. This hurt me a lot. I feel like I don’t have power to heal him or to provide him medical treatment."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Mourine is a 9-year-old bright, social and friendly girl from Kenya. She is the firstborn of a family of two and hails from Merigi village in Bomet county. Her mother told us that she is very active while at school and at home, helping do household chores, including tending to a kitchen garden as part of her work. Mourine is passionate about studying and she told us that she aspires to become a neurosurgeon in the future! Mourine was first seen in August 2023 at our medical partner's care center (AIC Cure International Hospital) mobile clinic and scheduled to undergo serial casting. She comes from a humble background where her mother is a homemaker while her father is a farmer. Mourine has clubfoot of both feet. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. This causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. This condition was not noticeable at a young age and her mother came to notice it when she was 4 years old. Mourine was taken to a hospital and the family were told that her foot needed to be corrected. They stayed home for quite sometime until they heard about AIC Cure mobile clinic and upon review, she was scheduled to undergo treatment. Currently Mourine walks with discomfort, is not flexible, and has pain when walking for a long distance. Fortunately, Mourine's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on January 30th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Mourine's clubfoot repair. After treatment, she will be able to walk comfortably like other children, she will be able to play with her peers since there will be no pain and she will continue with her education without any challenge. She has a bright future ahead. Mourine said: "I'm looking forward to healing and walking comfortably to avoid people always asking me what is wrong with my foot."

$1,286raised
Fully funded

Marites, who is 50 years old, is a dedicated wife and mother, living with her husband and two children in the Philippines. Currently, Marites is facing a challenging situation, as she deals with a painful mass in her left breast. While the mass was only mildly uncomfortable in the beginning, Marites did not seek medical attention because of her family's financial struggles. When she did finally meet with a doctor, she opted not to undergo the recommended surgery, because of the financial burden it would impose on her family. Over time, as Marites has lived with the breast mass, she has been left to endure sudden bouts of numbness, sleepless nights, and feelings of hopelessness. Having been diagnosed with breast cancer, it is imperative for Marites to undergo surgery, to prevent the cancer from spreading. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Marites receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a mastectomy on July 19th, at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP needs to raise $1,058 to cover the remaining cost. After treatment, Marites will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Marites said: "It's a tremendous help because we don't know where else to turn to for the operation. I also want to extend my life for the sake of my children and my husband, who is also ill and relies on me. He's already 62 years old. I hope the assistance for people like us who are truly in need continues, and I hope you can help many others too."

$1,058raised
Fully funded

Ann is a 45-year-old woman from Kenya and a mother of four children aged between 23-27 years old. Her husband passed away in 1999. Her children have been unable to secure steady jobs, and Ann works as a casual laborer washing clothes to provide a living. However, she shared that her income is inconsistent, as it depends on the availability of work. She lives alone in a single room. Ann does not have medical coverage and is requesting assistance with her treatment costs. In April 2023, Ann slipped and fell on the road causing a fracture in her right wrist. She went to a local pharmacy for first aid and has since been using hot water and salt to treat the fracture due to a lack of medical coverage. However, her hand has continued to swell, and she is in chronic pain, making it challenging to use her right hand. A church member recommended Ann visit Kijabe Mission Hospital for review. Through church members’ contributions, Ann received an X-ray, and the doctor recommended she undergo surgery to treat the fracture. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On May 15th, Ann will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will heal the broken bones and enable her to use her hand again. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Ann says: “I can’t use my hand because it is broken. I am unable to work and sometimes sleep hungry because I depend on my hand to work and earn a living. I need the surgery to earn a livelihood.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded