karen's Story

karen joined Watsi on February 22nd, 2016. Seven years ago, karen joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. karen's most recent donation traveled 8,600 miles to support Mar, a 56-year-old woman residing in a refugee camp from Thailand, to fund hernia repair surgery.

Team
Impact

karen has funded healthcare for 85 patients in 14 countries.

Patients funded by karen

Tony is a 23-year-old student from Kenya. He was raised by a single mom and shared that she passed away a few years ago. He now lives with his elderly grandparents in rural Kenya. Tony has six siblings, who are all in school. Tony is in his third year at the university, where he is studying industrial chemistry. Unfortunately, he had to miss his end-of-semester exams because of his injuries and the need to use his school fees to cover his treatment costs. Tony also works part-time as a writer, but the income is insufficient to cover his school and medical bills. At the end of March, Tony was attacked by a group of people who took his valuables and hit him with a blunt object, causing serious injuries on the left side of his face. Tony was rushed to a nearby health facility for first aid and referred to a government hospital in the city the next day. The CT scan images revealed fractures in his face. Tony urgently needs to undergo surgery for his bones to heal properly. It is also difficult for him to open his mouth or eat due to his injuries. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On April 18th, Tony will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. The procedure will help him eat and chew comfortably, and he will be able to resume his studies. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $979 to fund this procedure. Tony said: “I missed my exams because of the injury. I cannot eat or chew anything. I need this surgery to be able to eat and use my mouth well again.”

$338raised
$641to go

Sai Laung, who is 18 years old, lives with her parents and her younger sister in Shan State in Burma. Sai Laung used to be an agriculture day laborer, but she stopped working in July 2022 due to her illness. In her free time, Sai Laung likes to read Buddhist books and study English online. During the first week of July 2022, Sai Laung began to feel very tired and she developed a fever. At first, she thought it was because she was working a lot, but when she had difficulty breathing a few days later, her mother brought her to the hospital. She was told she might have a congenital heart condition, and the doctor recommended that she have an echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis. Sai Laung had an echocardiogram at another hospital, confirming that she has a ventricular septal defect, or a hole in her heart. The doctor advised her to go to the Pun Hlaing Hospital in Yangon to see a cardiologist, which Sai Laung did towards the end of November 2022. During that visit, the doctor also diagnosed her with aortic valve regurgitation, and told her that she needs surgery. Currently, Sai Laung has difficulty breathing and is only able to walk short distances before experiencing fatigue. Performing ordinary household chores like cooking or cleaning is exhausting for her. Her lips turn blue, and she has sharp chest pain, fever, and difficulty sleeping. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, has stepped in to assist Sai Laung access the care that she needs. On March 7th, she will undergo surgery to repair her heart at Pun Hlaing Hospital. Now Sai Laung and her family need your help to raise the $1,500 to fund this life-saving procedure. “I have felt so sad since I was diagnosed with this [heart disease]. I need surgery and we have no money. I look at my parents and I pity them because they work so hard to help me get treatment. I want to recover quickly and go back to work so I can help my parents with the extra income. When I learned that there are donors who will help pay for my treatment cost, I felt so happy," said Sai Luang.

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Meet Su, a 10-year-old girl, living with her mother in Thailand. Because her parents are no longer together, Su sometimes also goes and stays with her father. Both of her parents work for local community organizations. When Su has free time, she enjoys drawing pictures, and playing with her friends. Su was born with clubfeet and a dislocated hip. After her birth, she received corrective surgery in Chiang Mai, with the help of our medical partner, BCMF. During her last visit to the hospital after her surgery, the doctor told her mother that she would need to bring Su back to the hospital after she had outgrown the special, corrective shoes she wore for her clubfeet. Due to financial constraints, issues with documentation, and the Covid pandemic, Su's parents were never able to bring her back to the hospital. In June 2022, Su started to experience pain in her right foot, whenever she walked for longer than 10 minutes. And, for the first time, she also began to feel pain in her right hip when she walked. The doctor at Mae Sot Hospital diagnosed her with a dislocated hip, and referred her to Chiang Mai for further treatment. Doctors in Chiang Mai want Su to undergo an MRI, which will help them to reach a definitive diagnosis, and to formulate a plan of treatment. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting your help to cover the $814 cost of Su's MRI and care, scheduled for October 18th, at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. "I want my daughter to become a doctor in the future so that she can help others who also suffer from clubfeet," said Su's mother.

$814raised
Fully funded