Parker T Minardo
Parker's Story

Parker joined Watsi on December 14th, 2014. 36 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Parker's most recent donation traveled 8,800 miles to support Toy, a grandfather from Cambodia, for surgery to remove his cataracts.

Impact

Parker has funded healthcare for 17 patients in 7 countries.

Patients funded by Parker

Mu is a 38-year-old woman who lives in a rural Burmese village with her husband, son-in-law, five daughters, and ten-month-old grandson. Her eldest daughter got married last year, the middle two attend school, and the younger ones live at home. “Mu’s family harvests rice and grows vegetables on their land,” says our medical partner, Burma Border Projects (BBP). “They also keep chickens and pigs, which they occasionally sell when they need money.” Mu has a myoma -- a noncancerous growth in her uterus. “She can feel the mass in her abdomen and cannot sleep well due to back and abdominal pain,” BBP explains. “As she is unable to afford treatment in Burma, she has to cross the Thailand border to seek medical care. Each time she comes to Thailand, she has to stop working and take out a small loan to cover transportation costs.” Treatment to remove Mu’s myoma costs $1,500. This cost covers transportation to Thailand, a CT scan, and outpatient visits pre-surgery. “Once Mu has received treatment, she will be able to go back to work with her family and will not have to borrow money to cross the border,” BBP continues. “This will enable her to support her children to go to school and pursue their own interests. She will also be free from pain and discomfort and be able to live a life full of dignity.” “In the future, I will go back to my work on the farm – I am happy to stay in my village,” shares Mu. “I will be so happy to have surgery. I feel like I am carrying something inside so I want to take it out.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Vilma is a one-year-old girl, and the second child of a very young couple. She lives with her four-year-old sister, Clara, and their parents in Guatemala. Her father provides for the family by working on a farm, while her mother cares for the two girls and tends to the home. Vilma was recently diagnosed with acute malnutrition. “Although Vilma’s family wants to provide her with all the tools necessary to live a healthy life, they are currently unsure how to do so,” shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). “Her weight and height are far below the average for her age, and she is at risk for the long-term negative effects from malnutrition." As a result of low caloric intake, Vilma has low energy and has not grown like other children. A low caloric intake will also damage Vilma’s immune system and make her susceptible to infections and illness such as pneumonia, which can be very dangerous. “If left untreated, Vilma will start to miss developmental milestones,” continues WK. “She will have low energy, and be unable to develop to her full mental potential, thus limiting her ability to concentrate and go far in school.” A simple treatment plan can help Vilma and her family break the cycle of malnutrition. For $535, Vilma will receive food supplements and micronutrient support. This treatment will physically bolster Vilma’s ability to recoup her height and weight, and her immune system will be strengthened which will help her combat infections and illnesses. To ensure that Vilma and her sister are set up for long term developmental success, the treatment cost will also fund nutritional education for their parents to teach them how to foster healthy nutritional habits for the family. This will give the girls the necessary long term support to reach her physical and developmental potential, and Vilma will be able to fulfill her mother's wish of pursuing her education. Let’s help out Vilma and her family!

$535raised
Fully funded

Meet Sadayo, a toddler from Kenya. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), Sadayo has hypospadias: a condition in which “his urethral opening is lower on the head of the shaft of his penis and he [therefore] cannot pass urine normally.” This not only causes pain when Sadayo tries to urinate, but “Sadayo is [also] likely to experience urinary tract infections. He might also suffer impotence if not treated,” shares AMHF. “Sadayo and his mother live in a small shelter lent to them by a well-wisher because they were living on the streets," AMHF continues. "Sadayo's father is mentally challenged and still lives in the streets.” “Sadayo's mother works as a casual laborer; washing people’s clothes and doing any farming tasks to help her support herself and her son” – inconsistent work that fails to provide enough income for Sadayo’s mother to afford the surgery her son needs. Sadayo and his mother were brought to AMHF by a concerned neighbor who saw the baby’s situation and knew that AMHF would be able to help. With $655 in funding, Sadayo will receive the surgery he needs to reconstruct the urinary channel in the proper position, thus correcting the hypospadias. The doctors share, “If treated, Sadayo will be less likely to suffer urinary tract infections and impotence. He will be able to pass urine normally.” In the words of Sadayo’s kindhearted neighbor, “I really feel for this baby, I wish I had better ways of helping him. I have been praying that God may open ways for him to get treatment, and I have no doubts that He has heard my prayers.”

$655raised
Fully funded