Jordeen Chang
Jordeen's Story

Jordeen joined Watsi on October 8th, 2015. 27 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Jordeen's most recent donation traveled 8,800 miles to support Kan, a farmer from Cambodia, to treat hip osteoarthritis.

Impact

Jordeen has funded healthcare for 14 patients in 7 countries.

Patients funded by Jordeen

Meet Leandra, a one-month-old girl from Guatemala with a severe case of malnutrition. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK) explains, “Leandra has been losing weight and getting sick frequently, due to her severe case of malnutrition. She has lost weight since she was born because her mother cannot make enough breastmilk to help Leandra grow.” “This has made her mother very stressed and upset, because Leandra cries all the time due to her hunger. In an effort to make her stop crying, she has been giving her sugar water, which has made her gain a little weight, but puts her at risk of diarrhea, starvation, and seizures due to the lack of calories, antibodies, and electrolytes,” WK shares. “Leandra is the second child in her family. She lives with her parents and older sister in a one-room house made of wood. Her mother works at home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Sometimes, she goes out and helps her husband look for wood to chop and sell, all the while carrying Leandra on her back. Her husband also works fishing in the nearby lake, and sells the fish he catches. Although they work hard, they often do not have enough money to buy even basic foods for their family, and often make less in a month than what formula costs," WK continues. $1,016 will cover the cost of Leandra’s treatment, which involves supplying Leandra with formula and her mother with health education. Her mother said, "I am so thankful to the donors that think of my daughter and want to help her."

$1,016raised
Fully funded

"I hope to become a secondary school teacher when I grow up," says 15-year-old Sara. Sara just completed her primary education in Tanzania, and did very well. Her favorite subject is science. "Sara was born with congenital clubfoot," reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). This condition caused both of her feet to grow inward and with very high arches. Now, "she is using the lateral aspect of her feet for walking, which has badly affected her gait," AMHF tells us. "Sara will most likely develop early osteoarthritis if not treated." Sara needs surgery to correctly realign her feet. However, working as small scale farmers, Sara's parents are unable to pay for this treatment. They rely on growing and selling maize and sunflower seeds -- barely enough to support Sara and her three younger siblings, let alone additional medical expenses. $1,160 will fund Sara's medical treatment - an operation in which doctors will surgically release the overly tight tendons in her feet that are causing them to turn inward. Then her foot and ankle joints can be re-aligned, and casts will hold them in place while they heal. Sara will also receive inpatient care for about four months to ensure that these casts are properly cared for. After fully recovering from her operation, "Sara will no longer have to use the lateral aspect of her feet for walking," says AMHF, "that will improve her gait and reduce the risk of developing early osteoarthritis. She will then be able to continue her secondary education and work towards her future goals."

$1,160raised
Fully funded

Meet Jose, a three-year-old boy from Guatemala. Jose was adopted when he was a baby by his loving adoptive parents. “Norma, Jose’s adopted mother, was married for years but could never have kids since she had to have a hysterectomy when she was a teenager," shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). "Norma was thrilled to be able to take Jose in, and has been very happy with him.” Over time though, Norma began to notice that Jose was not developing at the same rate as other children. “Jose is suffering from severe developmental delays and seizures due to congenital hydrocephalus. He was diagnosed when he was one-year-old when he first started to have seizures, but his family has not been able to afford therapy or medications for him,” WK tells us. As of now, Jose can move his hands and hold a ball over his head, but he is having trouble sleeping and has seizures almost everyday. “Since Jose needs constant supervision, his mom has not been able to work, which makes it hard for their family to afford basic necessities,” shares WK. Treatment for Jose costs $1,385, which consists of a full medical workup to clarify his diagnosis, medications for his seizures, intensive physical therapy, and social support for the family. WK shares that these efforts will "help lessen the economic stress that the family has been under with his condition, since all imaging, medications, physical therapy, and medical visits will be included free of charge for them. This treatment will give Jose the chance to become much more independent, mobile, and will decrease the frequency of his seizures…helping Jose reach his full potential, and help to work through the stigma of his developmental delay.” Jose’s mother says that Jose is very smart and she cannot wait for him to start therapy. "My dream is to see my son walk and run," says his mother.

$1,385raised
Fully funded