Sergio Golia
Sergio's Story

Sergio joined Watsi on November 21st, 2015. 12 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Sergio's most recent donation supported Editor, a farmer from Uganda, to fund a safe C-section.

Impact

Sergio has funded healthcare for 60 patients in 11 countries.

Patients funded by Sergio

Editor is a farmer from Uganda. She comes from a very humble family, and she is a total orphan - having lost both of her parents. Editor shared that she never saw her parents, and just heard stories about what they looked like because they died while she was still a toddler. After the death of her parents, her grandmother took over the responsibility. She had no money to facilitate her education, and she dropped out of school before completing seventh grade. In 2014, Editor decided to get married to her husband, who is a small-scale farmer. They lived in a rented house. At the beginning of this year, Editor separated from her husband and lost contact with him. She could not raise rental fees for their home, and she ended up being kicked out of the house. Fortunately, a good neighbour had a free store, and she gave it to her. Currently, Editor and her two children live in that small store, and they survive by working on the neighbor’s farm or sometimes her friends donate things. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children. She is currently expecting a new baby. Her doctors recommend that she deliver via a caesarean section because of her high risk pregnancy. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Editor undergo a C-Section on November 23rd. This procedure will cost $207, and Editor needs your support. Editor says, "my desire is to safely deliver my child in good health. I am my family's only breadwinner and I don't have money to pay for surgery."

$180raised
$27to go

Immanuel is a 2-year-old child from Kenya and the last born in a family of four. His parents are both casual laborers who earn an average of $3 per day. His mother washes clothes while his father works in construction sites where they earn a daily wage. Immanuel’s parent’s income is inconsistent since they depend on the availability of work. In mid-June this year, Immanuel was playing in the kitchen as his mother prepared supper for the family. He dipped his left hand into a boiling pot of potatoes when his mother stepped out to fetch more firewood for the broth. He let out a loud scream which made his mother rush back to the kitchen only to find him burnt and in pain. Immanuel suffered burns on his chest and left arm. He is not healing well and he is prone to infection. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Immanuel receive treatment. On September 21st, surgeons will perform a debridement and skin graft procedure. This treatment will help clean his wounds and cover them with skin so as to reduce the risk of infection and improve his healing. Now, Immanuel needs help to fund this $1,185 procedure. Immanuel's mother shared, “For over two months now we have tried to source help for my baby to get this needed treatment. Unfortunately, we have been unsuccessful. The wounds are refusing to heal and his elbow has become immobile and stiff. This might affect him now and in the future, if something is not done soon.”

$1,185raised
Fully funded

Suzana is a kindergartener from Tanzania. She is five years old and the only child to her single mother. She was born a healthy child and has been developing well until earlier this year in March. Her mother started noting her dragging her right leg when walking and lacking strength mostly on the right side of her body. Previously she could run and play freely. She would walk to her kindergarten school with her friends with ease. However, she started having difficulties in all these activities, which made her mom worried.  Suzana’s mother is a single mother working as a cleaner at a local university to make a living. Her husband left them when Suzana was just two years old. Her mom shared that it has not been easy for her to support Suzana on her own and things are now even harder given Suzana’s condition. It took Suzana’s mother a few months to be able to save some money and take Suzana to Arusha district hospital where she was referred to Watsi's Medical Partner ALMC hospital for a diagnosis. At ALMC hospital, Suzana was diagnosed with hydrocephalus which has caused a tumor in her head. She needs to have surgery to help drain the fluids accumulating and thereafter have the tumor excised if possible. Her mother is unable to afford the treatment cost and she is asking for help and support. Suzana has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Suzana has been experiencing general weakness on her right side of the body and dragging her legs. Without treatment, Suzana will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $802 to cover the cost of surgery for Suzana that will treat her hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 17th and will drain the excess fluid from Suzana's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Suzana will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Suzana's mother shared, “I would love to see my daughter walk well again, resume school and be able to get back to normal. The cost of the surgery is something I can’t afford. Please find a place in your hearts and help my daughter."

$802raised
Fully funded

Wel is a five-year-old boy who lives with his parents and an older sister and brother. His parents are subsistence farmers while he and his siblings are students. His mother forages for food and fishes to supplement their meals, while his father also works as a day laborer. The income he receives is just enough to cover their daily expanses but is not enough to pay for basic healthcare. On the 26th of December 2019, Wel was playing with pebbles at school with his friends. When he came back home that afternoon, he was crying but no one was home; his mother was away fishing. When she came back home and saw him still crying, she asked him what was wrong. Wel told her that while he was playing with his friends at school, one of his friends threw a pebble that hit him in his left eye. Since then, his left eye hurt a lot. His mother checked his eye, but she did not see any redness, and thought that the pain would go away after a while. Five days later, Wel complained that his left eye hurt more than before. His mother then took him to Hpa-An General Hospital, where his eye was checked. The doctor saw pus in his left eye and told his mother to take him to a hospital in Yangon as they cannot do anything for him there. The doctor provided him with eye drops and they returned home. Wel's mother did not have enough money to go to Yangon. His mother administered the eye drops for him, but his eye did not get better. His mother started to worry more about him and tried to look for a way to take him to another hospital. One of their neighbors suggested that she bring him to Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) in Mae Sot, Thailand, as she has been to the clinic before. On the 5th of January 2020, Wel's mother borrowed 100,000 kyat (approx. 100 USD) from a neighbor and took him to MTC. There, his eye was checked but the medic referred him to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH), as they could not treat Wel at the clinic. When Wel arrived at MSH, the doctor examined his eye and told Wel’s mother that he has an ulcer in the cornea of his left eye. His left eye had turned white and he also had pus due to the infection in his eye. The doctor told them that unfortunately the only option left was to remove his left eye so that his right eye would not become infected as well. Wel cried when he learned that his left eye had to be removed. Wel's mother however agreed to the procedure and he was scheduled to receive surgery on the 20th of January. Unable to pay for the surgery, the medic at MTC referred Wel to Watsi medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance in accessing treatment. Currently, Wel's left eye is itchy and has discharge coming from it. He cannot look at sunlight, as if he does his eye hurts. Before he stated taking the painkillers provided by MSH, his eye was very painful. He can no longer see anything with his left eye. "I want him to continue his studies after he receives treatment and I would like him to become either a teacher or a nurse in the future," said Wel's mother. "I don’t want him to work on the farm like us because he will have only one eye, so I want him to get a good job.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Khin is a 39-year-old woman who lives with her family in Hpa-An Township, Karen State, Burma. Both her children are in preschool. She and her husband are subsistence farmers, growing rice during the rainy season on rented land. The rest of the year, her husband collects leaves used to make roofs, works as a daily labourer or collects branches to sell. Khin was born with a scar the size of an ant bite on her upper lip. Her parents thought that it would disappear or heal on its own but the scar developed into a growth and increased in size. Her parents passed away when she was young and after that she went to live with her brother’s family. By the time she was around 20 years old, the growth had become large and soft, covering the area between her upper lips and her nose. When the pain became unbearable in 2005, her uncle dropped her off at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) in Thailand, a free clinic close to where her uncle used to work. At this point, the growth had become so large that dragged her upper lip down and extended into her nostrils. At MTC, she was seen by doctors and medics, before she was diagnosed with a hemangioma. At this point, the growth had worsened, and she was bleeding from her lips. In April 2006, Khin went to Chiang Mai Hospital and had the hemangioma removed surgically. The growth later has returned. Overtime, the hemangioma has increased in size and become hard. It has now expanded into Khin’s nostrils, especially her left nostril, which causes her to have difficulty breathing at times. She feels uncomfortable but is not in pain. Sometimes she also feels like she has a blood clot in her nostrils during her nosebleeds. Because the nosebleed can start at any time and can last anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, her life revolves around managing her nosebleeds. She is unable to work or sleep properly, and if she is about to have a nosebleed, she is unable to eat. The nosebleeds have also affected her ability to earn an income for her children and continues to impact her social life. “When I socialise, I do not feel comfortable and some people think I have a disease that I can infect them with,” said Khin. “So, I hope to get better after surgery, and I hope I will no longer have nosebleeds. I don’t want to bleed, and I want to socialise with my friends and family happily. [Right now] my friends won’t even touch me.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded