Natasha Katoni
Natasha's Story

Natasha joined Watsi on February 4th, 2016. 37 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Natasha's most recent donation supported Duot, a rice farmer from Cambodia, to treat glaucoma.

Impact

Natasha has funded healthcare for 4 patients in 4 countries.

Patients funded by Natasha

Fitsum is a ten-year-old boy from Ethiopia who is currently in the third grade. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), shares, “Fitsum was viciously kicked by a neighborhood child about one year ago. Though he suffered pain he continued to go to school until about two months ago when he was unable to continue to walk to school and participate in school activities.” Fitsum’s injury caused him to develop osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone, in his left femur. Some of the bone has died due to lack of blood flow to the area, forming a sequestrum, or a piece of dead bone that has separated from the rest. Fitsum requires surgery to remove the dead bone tissue so the remainder can heal. “If not treated, Fitsum’s leg could become deformed or develop severe infection that would result in amputation,” says AMHF. In order to provide for him and his 14-year-old sister, Fitsum’s mother cleans and washes clothes for neighbors. She is a single parent, divorced from her husband. “The family lives in a rented house, and has no relatives in that area to offer support,” AMHF tells us. Fitsum’s mother needs assistance to cover the $535 surgical procedure to heal Fitsum’s femur. “When the bone heals, Fitsum should be able to walk well again and live a normal life,” says AMHF. “When asked about his hope for his future, Fitsum hid his head in his mother’s shoulder. He later whispered to his mother that he wanted to be a preacher someday.”

$535raised
Fully funded

Joseph is just over three months old. When he was born in his home in Tanzania this past October, he developed jaundice, “but his mother did not notice until when his brother came to see the baby and commented on the [yellow] color of his eyes,” according to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). After taking her baby to the hospital, Joseph’s mother learned that his jaundice is being caused by a choledochal cyst, or an abnormal lump in his bile ducts. This “intra-abdominal mass is preventing the drainage of bile and pancreatic juice to the intestine to assist digestion,” AMHF tells us. If left untreated, choledochal cysts can be fatal, as they sometimes lead to complications such as pancreatitis and masses forming in the liver. Joseph urgently needs to undergo surgery to address this dangerous cyst in his abdomen. However, his mother, who earns her wages by farming a small plot of land and two cows, cannot afford to pay for the operation. In addition to Joseph, she and her husband must provide their seven other children with the basic needs of food, clothing, and school supplies. For $920, we can fund the operation that will remove his choledochal cyst. This sum will also pay for his six-day hospital stay post-operation, and a six-week stay at a children’s recover center, Plaster House. After this procedure, “There will be adequate bile and pancreatic juice flow to the intestine to assist digestion and Joseph will continue with normal growth,” AMHF says. Joseph’s mother shares, “I pray that my son will get well, have good health and continue with normal growth so that I too can start working and take better care of my children.”

$920raised
Fully funded