Nicholas BoltonUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Nicholas' Story

Nicholas joined Watsi on September 3rd, 2017. Six years ago, Nicholas joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Nicholas' most recent donation supported Amare, a creative and bright boy from Ethiopia, to fund bladder surgery.

Impact

Nicholas has funded healthcare for 69 patients in 11 countries.

Patients funded by Nicholas

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

Naw Paw is a 40 year-old woman who lives with her husband and her three daughters in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Province, Thailand. Naw Paw is originally from across the border in Karen State, Burma. Her family fled to the refugee camp in 2011 due to conflict happening between armed groups in her area. In the camp, Naw Paw’s family receives a cash card from the Border Consortium to purchase food. Naw Paw used to sell Mohhinga (a Burmese noodle) nearby school to cover for their basic needs. However, she stopped selling Mohhinga when she got this pregnant because she couldn’t handle the work well. Naw Paw’s family is struggling to make ends meet and feel lucky they receive free basic healthcare in the camp through Malteser International. Her husband is unemployed. All of her 3 children are students. During her free time, she loves to play with her children and listen to the music in her phone. Sometimes she will read books and help her daughters with their homework. Naw Paw is currently expecting her fourth child. Since Naw Paw got pregnant she is taking antenatal care regularly at the camp hospital. On January 18th, Naw Paw went back for the follow-up in the camp hospital and had an ultrasound which revealed that her baby is in the wrong position laying sideways and her doctors recommended that she deliver via a caesarean section. This way doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Naw Paw undergo a C-section on January 29th. This procedure will cost $1,500, and Naw Paw's family needs your support. Naw Paw said, “After I deliver my baby and recover from surgical wound, I will sell the Mohhinga (Burmese noodle) again to cover more of the financial needs for our family.”

$1,141raised
$359to go

Remedan is a baby from Ethiopia. He is a sweet baby boy who is the fourth child to his parents, and he loves to play with balloons and squeeze toys. He has started weaning, and he loves Plumpy Nut, a nutrition supplement donated by the Ethiopian government for underweight and malnourished children. Since he got the donation, his weight has improved and is now in an expected range which is a relief for his parents. Remedan's dad is a small-scale farmer and dropped out of school in grade seven. He had to sell his land when he went to the city for treatment for his son. Remedan's mom, who is a homemaker, heard about our medical partner BKMCM from a neighbor who lived nearby and who got her child treatment at BKMCM. She traveled all the way to the hospital from her home town with her dad and they now stay in the Missionaries of Charity for accommodation since they can’t afford hotels and transport costs. Remedan developed a bowel obstruction and had an emergency colostomy. He has had multiple issues with his colostomy and associated complications. His family shared that they have suffered throughout the entire process but are hopeful that things will improve. Remedan's condition means he cannot make a stool. His mom and dad are very sad and worried about their son. Remedan still requires additional surgery to complete his treatment; his family is appealing for financial support. Remedan's surgery is scheduled for October 31st and our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, requests $1,500 to cover the cost of Remedan's procedure and care. After his recovery, Remedan will no longer experience bowel dysfunction or be at risk of developing severe health complications in the future. His mom said, "I hope my child will get treatment, and I hope he will heal well after the treatment."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Nafie is a 22-month-old toddler from Ethiopia. He loves water play and often touches things to see what is before him. He is the only child of his parents. His dad and mom are day laborers who graduated from high school. Nafie's mom noticed he was experiencing discomfort when using the restroom. She sought medical treatment and doctors determined that he was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of cancer and infertility in the future. Due to Nafie's condition, his parents are stressed and concerned about his future. They are appealing for financial assistance to help their son undergo a hypospadias repair surgery that will correct the abnormality and enable Nafie to live a full and quality life filled with dignity. After the procedure, Nafie will be able to pass urine as his peers do. Fortunately, Nafie is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on September 22nd. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Nafie's dad said, “It was really hard to believe that there is this kind of condition or there are children that went through this kind of situation. We were so scared and worried when we learned about his condition. We couldn’t think that it was correctable by treatment. We were relieved and felt happy when the doctor told us that the condition was correctable by surgery.” Nafie's mom also shared, “After the surgery, we hope he will be normal and just as other children.”

$1,293raised
Fully funded

Francis is a 68-year-old father of four children from Kenya. He is a small-scale corn farmer with a motorbike that he uses as a source of income to feed his family. In November 2021, Francis was hit by a police officer pursuing criminals in a high-speed chase when they lost control and hit him by the roadside. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where an X-ray confirmed he had broken his tibia and fibula in his right leg. He received surgery to repair the fracture that month. However, a year later, the pain persisted from his injury, and a wound developed. He decided to visit Kijabe Hospital (KH), the care center of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), to seek a second opinion. Upon examination, the doctors quickly realized that the nail inserted to stabilize his leg during his last operation was infected and needed to be removed. He had the nail removed in October 2022, followed by a procedure to remove dead cells from the chronic wound that had developed. However, he still needs another procedure to create a cover for the wound in order to decrease the odds of future infection. Francis has been unable to walk or use his right leg for over 15 months, preventing him from working or using his motorbike. The multiple surgeries and the numerous hospital visits, coupled with his inability to work, have caused his family financial instability. Additionally, Francis was dependent on insurance for the previous treatments and surgeries. However, his insurance is now exhausted, and he cannot afford the next procedure. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Francis receive treatment. On February 16th, AMH surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure which will allow Francis to walk easily again and reduce the likelihood of further infection. AMH is requesting $1,185 to fund this procedure. Francis says, “I have never been able to walk since the accident. I depend on my motorbike to feed my family. In this state, I am unable to ride it. I hope to get the surgery to help me use my leg again."

$1,185raised
Fully funded