Max S. Emmer
Max's Story

Max joined Watsi on June 3rd, 2013. 8 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Max's most recent donation traveled 8,700 miles to support Lazaro, a 7-month-old baby from Tanzania, to fund clubfoot repair surgery so he can walk easily.

Impact

Max has funded healthcare for 11 patients in 6 countries.

Patients funded by Max

Jackson is a nine-year-old boy from Tanzania. He is the fourth born child in a family of six children. Jackson is a hard-working boy both at home and school. He is currently in class three and his best subjects are Mathematics and Swahili. Due to his health condition, Jack is having a hard time walking and it continues to become more difficult as time goes on. When he is not at school, he helps to look after his father's cattle. Jackson's parents are livestock keepers who make a very humble income. When Jackson was two years old, he fell off his bed. As he fell, his right leg went into the fireplace, which is usually next to the bed to keep the hut warm. At the time, his parents couldn't take him to the hospital due to financial challenges and treated the burn wound using traditional herbal medication. His wound took a long time to heal. Over the years, the skin around his right foot has contracted and pulls his toes upward, which makes putting shoes on very challenging for Jackson. His parents have to buy big, soft shoes so that he can go to school wearing shoes. Jackson often complains of pain after a long day of walking. Most of the times when he is home, he doesn’t like wearing shoes due to the pain and discomfort. Through a mission organization, Jackson was referred to Plaster House at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre to seek treatment help. Doctors recommend that Jackson undergo an amputation of two toes on his right foot in order to remove the pain and difficulty that he feels when walking and wearing shoes. Jackson's parents cannot afford the treatment cost thus they are asking for help. Jackson will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. He is scheduled to undergo surgery on April 23rd. African Mission Healthcare is requesting $1,088 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Once recovered, he will be free of pain and will soon be able to walk comfortably again. Jackson shared, "I would like to be able to wear shoes and walk without feeling pain. I will be happy if am able to have this treatment."

$1,088raised
Fully funded

Rosemary is a 55-year-old woman, who is a very cheerful, talkative, and full of humour. Rosemary has a small kiosk where she sells beauty products. In recent years, she has been supporting her sick mother until her mother passed away last year. Early February 2020, Rosemary started experiencing some pain in her abdominal area. The pain became severe, and persisted for some time before she went to a hospital for a checkup. During the examination, she was found to have helicobacter pylori and gallbladder problems, and was also suspected to have gallbladder stones. Rosemary was given medication, which seemed to work at first but her gall bladder problems eventually worsened. Afterwards, Rosemary was referred to another facility in Nairobi for further treatment, but after going through scans and treatment, she did not notice any change in her condition. Eventually, she came to our Medical Partner Kijabe Hospital in February 2021. After the examination, the doctor recommended that she undergo a curative laparatomy to better treat her condition. However, Rosemary cannot afford the cost of her care. While supporting her mother, she found herself in a lot of debt that she is still trying to clear. Rosemary does not have National Health Insurance Fund coverage, and her condition needs urgent treatment. Rosemary has no extra source of income and is appealing for financial help. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On March 31st, Rosemary will undergo a laparoscopic cholecystectomy to treat her persistent pain. Once recovered, she will hopefully be free of pain and her quality of life will significantly improve. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $616 to fund this procedure. Rosemary shared, “The financial situation I'm in makes it hard for me to raise enough funds for my surgery yet it is worsening as time goes by. Any financial help offered will be highly appreciated."

$616raised
Fully funded

Saw Ki is a 10-year-old boy living with his parents, sister and a brother in Mae Ra Ma Luang Refugee Camp in Thailand. Saw Ki is in grade two and his siblings also attend school in the camp. At school, Saw Ki’s favorite subject is Koraen literature. In the future, he would like to become an agricultural day laborer and work hard like his father. On the morning of January 30, 2021, Saw Ki was playing with his friends when he slipped on some rocks and fell onto his left arm. Right away, his left arm became extremely painful and his left arm looked deformed. Saw Ki was brought to the refugee camp’s hospital run by Malteser International (MI) Thailand. After a medic completed a physical examination, the medic told him that they thought his left forearm was broken. Saw Ki was referred to Mae Sariang Hospital to receive an x-ray. There, the doctor confirmed that his left forearm was broken and referred him to Chiang Mai Hospital for surgery right away. Currently, Saw Ki cannot move his left hand and he is in a lot of pain. He has been receiving pain medication while waiting for surgery. This surgery is costly for Saw Ki and his family. Saw Ki's father used to work as an agricultural day laborer in nearby villages, but he can no longer work since the refugee camp went into lockdown following the outbreak of Covid-19. His mother is a homemaker. Although their household receives a cash card with 2,200 baht (approx. 74 USD) every month to purchase rations, this amount is not enough. Their family struggles to make ends meet without Saw Ki’s father’s income, and they appeal for financial support. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Saw Ki will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for February 2nd and will cost $1,500. After surgery, Saw Ki will no longer be in pain and he will be able to return home, play with his friends and also continue his studies. Saw Ki shared, "I want to play a lot of games with both of my hands, like before. I am not scared of receiving surgery."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Kelvin is a 13-year-old boy from from Nyeri County in Central Kenya. He is a humble and calm child, and the 4th born in a family of six children. His mother is a farmer, while his father passed on 6 years ago after a long illness. At school, Kelvin is in Class 3 at Karangi Primary School. His teacher says he is a bright boy and performs well in class. Kelvin is actually supposed to be in Class 8 but, because of the condition of his feet, he has not been able to advance in his education as quickly. Kelvin was born with bilateral clubfoot, which was neglected and not treated earlier on. Clubfoot is a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape, and causes difficulty walking and even wearing shoes. Though he was taken to a hospital in the area to seek treatment, he could not initially undergo surgery due to lack of money. Now, Kelvin faces difficulty as he walks because his feet knock each other and causes him to fall every time. Unfortunately, this has affected his self-esteem when he sees other people playing and he cannot join. In March 2020, Kelvin underwent left triple arthrodesis surgery supported by Watsi donors and the procedure corrected his foot perfectly. Now, he is scheduled to undergo a right triple arthrodesis, a surgery to correct his right foot so he can walk well with both feet. Fortunately, Kelvin traveled back to visit our medical partner's care center, AIC Cure International Hospital. There, surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on him on January 11th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,286 to fund Kelvin's clubfoot repair. This surgery will be very impactful as he will be able to wear both shoes, walk well, and play with friends. Kelvin will also be able to continue with his studies without any hindrances. His mother asks for support for his second surgery. Kelvin's mother shared, “We are grateful to God for the support we received from Cure Hospital through the Watsi donors. I have seen great improvement with my son and am looking forward to seeing him walking like other children. God bless you and continue with the good work you do of helping needy families to have surgery. God bless you."

$1,286raised
Fully funded

Yar is a 18-year-old girl from Thailand. She lives with her parents, three younger sisters and three younger brothers in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. Yar and her parents are all too ill to work and are homemakers, while her siblings are students. Her family relies on the monthly food allowance they receive from an organization to get by. They also grow vegetables for themselves to supplement this income. Yar completed grade nine, but felt too ill to return to school this year. In her free time, she likes to weave traditional Karen bags for her siblings and help her mother with household chores. One day in early January 2020, Yar started to experience neck pain, fevers, and chills. When she went to the refugee camp’s hospital, run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), she was diagnosed with tonsillitis and was given oral paink medication and antibiotics. During her follow-up appointment, the medic gave her more of the same medications. After her follow-up appointment, Yar felt a small growth with her tongue inside her bottom left jaw behind her front teeth. She told the medic about this at her next appointment, but it was not checked out and she received more oral medication each week until the beginning of June 2020. During this time, the mass increased in size. In June, she was referred to Umphang Hospital, which then referred her to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for surgery. IRC brought Yar to MSH, where she received a physical examination, a CT-scan, and a biopsy of the mass. The CT result indicated that the mass was benign. In July, when she went back to MSH for her follow-up appointment, the doctor removed the mass in her mouth as well as five of her lower front teeth during surgery. Since the surgery, Yar has experienced swelling where the mass was removed. Daily, she experiences an achy pain in her lower left jaw, her neck and her back. The mass has also returned and is increasing in size. IRC referred Yar to Watsi's Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance accessing treatment in Chiang Mai Hospital. After reviewing a CT scan to confirm her diagnosis, the doctor in Chiang Mai recommended she move forward with surgery to remove the tumor. Now, she is scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on December 3rd. She is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Yar shared, "I am scared to receive surgery but I believe that I will be recovered after that so I am happy."

$1,500raised
Fully funded