Sydney JacobsenUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Sydney's Story

Sydney joined Watsi on September 22nd, 2020. Two years ago, Sydney joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Sydney's most recent donation supported Htet, a 38-year-old mother of four from Burma, to fund gallbladder surgery so she can live pain-free.

Impact

Sydney has funded healthcare for 31 patients in 10 countries.

Patients funded by Sydney

Tha Zin is a 43-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives in a refugee camp in Tak Province with her husband and two sons. Tha Zin and her husband run a shop in the refugee camp. Their total monthly income is not enough to cover their basic expenses, and sometimes Tha Zin needs to borrow money with interest from her neighbor for her children’s school expenses. Tha Zin shared that in her free time she loves reading the Bible, praying, and knitting hats for her family. In 2022, Tha Zin started to experience pain when sitting. She also experienced bleeding in a sensitive area. In the refugee camp, they receive free basic health care from the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Tha Zin went to the hospital in the refugee camp, where they completed a physical examination, diagnosed her with severe hemorrhoids, and provided her with basic medication. While Tha Zin took the medication, she felt relieved, but after she finished her medication, the pain worsened, and she experienced increased swelling and inflammation. As time went on, the pain worsened. She felt it was harder to stand up, walk or sit. Currently, Tha Zin feels like she has less energy and has difficulty completing her everyday tasks. She also experiences difficulty sleeping due to her worries about her condition. Tha Zin sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo surgery on June 2nd at our partner's care center. Tha Zin needs your help to raise $1,500 to cover the cost of her procedure and care. Tha Zin said, “Because of my illness, I had to close my shop and leave my two children with my relatives. So, I worry about them. But I am thankful to those who will support my surgery because I cannot afford to pay for it by myself. When I recover, I will reopen my shop and pay back my debt that I borrowed for my children’s school expenses. If my family has the opportunity to do so, I want us to be resettled in a new country one day.”

$698raised
$802to go

23-year-old Josephine and her two siblings live with their mother in Kenya and participate in small-scale farming for home consumption. Josephine has no source of income but is hoping to pursue a course in hairdressing. On April 16th, 2022, while planting corn on their farm, Josephine slipped and plunged into a hole she hadn't seen. She sustained a fracture in her right leg and surgery was performed to stabilize the bone and help the fracture heal. Two months after the surgery, Josephine started noticing pus accumulating in the affected area. She returned to the hospital and was treated, but her condition did not improve. In October 2022, doctors noted that the hardware that had been placed in Josephine's leg to stabilize the bone had actually caused an infection. Despite the removal of the hardware, the infection has persisted. Josephine has a large mid-diaphyseal sequestrum. This means that her femur bone is infected. As a result, she is unable to use her right leg to walk. If left untreated, the infection can spread, and potentially result in an amputation. With the assistance of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Josephine has been scheduled for a Right Femur Sequestrectomy and Exfix to clear the infection and strengthen the bone, allowing it to heal completely. The surgery, which will take place at AIC Kijabe Hospital on April 17th, will enable Josephine to walk easily again so that she can farm and pursue the course in hairdressing. She and her family need your help to raise the $1,500 to fund her treatment. Josephine says, “I want to go to college and do a course in hairdressing. I am unable to pursue this dream since I have a broken bone that needs to be attended to.”

$1,000raised
$500to go

Meet Kyar, a 4-year-old boy who lives with his parents, two brothers, and one sister in Tak Province. Kyar and his siblings are students at a Thai school, while their parents raise pigs and ducks and grow some vegetables for their own consumption. Kyar's mother is a homemaker, and his father makes charcoal to earn a living. He will also work as a day laborer to supplement his income, and goes fishing to put additional food on the table. The family income is just enough for their basic needs. In early December 2022, Kyar was playing with rubber bands with his friends, when one accidentally hit his left eye, which turned red and became painful. Kyar’s mother brought him to a nearby hospital, where he was admitted right away. After two days, Kyar's mother was told that he needed to be transferred to another hospital, but after eight days there, Kyar was referred to a hospital in Chiang Mai, because of the nature of the injury. Currently, Kyar experiences severe pain, swelling, and tearing from irritation in his left eye. He cannot open his eye because it is too painful. With the assistance of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Kyar is now scheduled to undergo a surgical procedure on December 20th at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, that will resolve his injury, enabling him to see clearly again. Kyar and his family need your help to fund the $1,500 needed for the surgery. "I honestly feel sad to see my son's condition and also worried about financial difficulty, but after learning this organization BCMF and donors will support my son's treatment, I am relieved and happy," said Kyar's mother.

$1,500raised
Fully funded