Helping Hand
Helping's Story

Helping joined Watsi on March 7th, 2016. 22 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Helping's most recent donation traveled 8,500 miles to support Lydiah, a single-mother from Kenya, to remove a large pancreatic cyst.

Impact

Helping has funded healthcare for 104 patients in 11 countries.

Patients funded by Helping

Kwan is a sweet and charming one-year-old girl who loves to dance whenever she hears music! She also likes to play with coconut leaves and pretend she is cooking with them. She lives with her parents and four brothers in Thailand. Kwan’s family fled from Karen State, Burma in 2016 due to armed conflict in their area. Her two oldest brothers and her father all work as agricultural day laborers, her other two brothers currently attend school, and her mother works as a homemaker. Her parents share that their monthly income is enough for their basic day-to-day needs, and when they feel sick, they typically use traditional medicine to manage their symptoms. One year ago on March 1st, Kwan was born at Tha Song Yang Hospital. Immediately after birth, her mother noticed that she had a small lump between her eyes. The doctor diagnosed her with encephalocele, a condition that occurs when the neural tube does not close and causes a sac-like bulge with brain tissue and spinal fluid to poke through the skull. The mass is currently increasing in size and pressing on her nostrils. Doctors want Kwan to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which X-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $693 to cover the cost of Kwan's CT scan and care, which is scheduled for August 8th. Kwan's mother says, “I was so happy when I heard my daughter has donors who will help support her treatment. Every night I have prayed to God to help my daughter. I want to thank the organization and the donors so much for their kindness. I want my daughter to grow up the same as other people and go to school. I want her to become an educated person. I also want her to help poor communities.”

$693raised
Fully funded

Harriet is a smallscale farmer and a mother of four. She was able to complete school up to the 6th grade, then could not proceed with education due to limited financial support from her family. Her husband is a casual laborer finding work where he can around their village. They own a two-room mud house for shelter. Their family's eldest is 13 years old and in primary school class three while the last born is 5 years old and in baby junior class. Harriet shared that sustaining her family has been hard for her and her husband. During her free time, she enjoys working on her farm whenever she is not doing her household chores. About four months ago, Harriet began to experience troubling symptoms, including severe lower abdominal pains and immediately went to seek medical attention at Rushoroza hospital. She was diagnosed with a ruptured appendicular abscess. This is a complication of acute appendicitis which results from the invasion of the appendix by bacteria following an obstruction. It was managed and the doctors advised her to return after a while for appendicectomy but she has not been able to afford the surgery cost. Currently, Harriet has completely stopped farming due to severe pain. If her surgery is not done, Harriet is at risk of suffering a recurring appendicular abscess and could live a very poor quality of life. Her family however cannot afford the surgery charges. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Harriet receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a curative laporotomy on November 11th at our medical partner's care center. This procedure will cost $284 and Harriet and her family need your support. Harriet says, “I hope to live a better life after the surgery because I have been in so much pain. I will resume farming as soon as I get better.”

$284raised
Fully funded

Zaw is a 40-year-old man from Thailand. He lives by himself in a hut on his employer's land on the Thai-Burma border and he harvests sugarcane for a living. He is paid 45 baht (approx. $1.50 USD) per bundle of harvested sugarcane, with each bundle containing 200 canes. He shared that the income he earns in a month is not enough to cover his basic needs, and has recently had to borrow funds to purchase food. Last Wednesday, Zaw decided to go home on his bicycle during his lunch break. While riding his bicycle, a dog started to chase him. He put his feet up on the handlebar so that the dog would not bite his legs. But while his feet were still on the handlebar, three cars drove towards him on the narrow road. Zaw swerved to avoid the cars and lost his balance, falling into the drainage ditch on the side of the road. The villagers who had seen him fall ran to the side of the ditch to check on him. When Zaw tried to stand up, he had difficulty breathing and had to sit down due to the pain in his abdomen. Since the accident, Zaw feels worse. He still has difficulty breathing, and he suffers from abdominal pain. He cannot stand up, has difficulty sitting up, and has difficulty eating or drinking water. Doctors want Zaw to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Zaw's CT scan and care, scheduled for March 26th. “When I get better I will continue working,” he said. “I also have to pay back my debt.”

$414raised
Fully funded

Naw Mar is a 35-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her husband, two daughters and two sons in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. Four years ago, Naw Mar started to suffer from pain in the right side of her abdomen. At first, she thought the pain would disappear after she rested. When it did not, she went to the hospital in the camp run by Malteser International Thailand (MI). She received medications which helped for a bit. Two years later, the pain became severe and the right side of her abdomen also became swollen. After more medication and follow-up appointments, she was eventually admitted to Mae Sariang Hospital and received an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that she had multiple gallstones, and she was given more medication. However, the medication did not help her much. In early June 2020, the pain in Naw Mar’s right abdomen increased. After she went to the camp’s hospital, the doctor referred her to Mae Sariang Hospital again, where the doctor told her that she would need to have surgery to remove the gallstones. Since Mae Sariang Hospital doctors could not perform this surgery, she was again referred her to Chiang Mai Hospital. However, the high cost of surgery proved difficult, so she was referred to our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), for assistance with accessing treatment. Currently, Naw Mar has constant pain in her right abdomen that is only manageable through pain medication. Her right abdomen is also swollen, and she suffers from back pain as well. When the pain in her abdomen is excruciating, she develops a headache and high blood pressure. Naw Mar is a homemaker, while her two daughters and her youngest son go to school. Her oldest son helps her with household chores. Her husband works as an agricultural day laborer, but has been unable to find work for the past month. While their family does receive a cash card each month for food support, it is not enough to cover their daily expenses and they struggle to make ends meet despite receiving free health care and education in the refugee camp. Their family is appealing for financial support. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Naw Mar's surgery. On October 25th, she will undergo a cholecystectomy at our medical partner’s care center. Once recovered, Naw Mar will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain and her quality of life will improve. Naw Mar shared, "After I receive treatment, I want to work for an organisation [NGO] in the camp so that we [my family] can have an income. Right now, I have no pocket money and I cannot borrow money from any one because we have no way of paying them back. I appreciate any support you can provide.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded