Donny & Juanita Whittecar
Donny's Story

Donny joined Watsi on June 8th, 2015. 11 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Donny's most recent donation supported Htoo, a 6-year-old boy from Thailand, to fund a hernia repair surgery.

Impact

Donny has funded healthcare for 70 patients in 12 countries.

Patients funded by Donny

James is a very playful and jovial boy. He loves to play with his friends and, his grandmother shared, they would play with anything because toys are hard to come by. One day James and his friends found a calabash and chose to play with it. While they were playing, one of them took the calabash and threw it to James. The calabash hit James at his right hip and he fell down. He struggled to stand up and immediately started limping and crying out of pain. He was rushed home to his grandmother where she took him to a nearby facility. James was given some pain medication and then sent home. His grandmother shared that a few days down the line his situation was not getting any better and he could not walk. James's grandmother sourced some funds and brought him to Kijabe Hospital for examination. Upon review, the doctor requested scans to develop a treatment plan, but due to lack of money to pay for the scan, his grandmother decided to go back home and look for money. While at home, it was took her a long time to raise the required amount for the scans. One day their church pastor visited to check on how they are adapting to life after the death of James’s mother. During the visit, he noticed that James was barely moving. He was concerned and asked his grandmother what was wrong. James's grandmother explained what happened and the current situation they are in. The pastor brought James back to Kijabe Hospital for the scans. When the doctor reviewed the scans, they immediately admitted James as an emergency case and a surgery was done helping to save his leg. During a regular clinic follow-up yesterday, his doctor noticed that the wound was oozing and was concerned about an infection. An x-ray was done and showed that his leg again needs emergency surgery to treat his condition. James is the youngest of four children. His father separated with his mother, and left James and his siblings to his mother. A few years later, James's mother died and his grandmother has taken full responsibility of the four children. To earn a living, his grandmother does laundry and ploughs farms for their neighbors. She does not have another source of income. James's first surgery was supported by Friends of Kijabe Hospital, but his grandmother is appealing for financial help for the surgery that is now needed for James. James’ grandmother shared, “At home after the first surgery, I was very happy to see James slowly trying to play with his friends again. Those were happy moments that I never thought James would experience again. I am requesting for financial help to put back a smile on his face."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Sinzo is a cheerful girl from Tanzania. She is seven years old and is the youngest in her family of seven children. Her parents separately when she was about three years old and she has been living with her mother ever since. Sinzo has a mass on the left side of her chest, which has caused her pain, and she shared makes her feel sad and crying when the pain starts. When she is not feeling the pain, she always wants to help her mother with home chores like washing dishes and cooking. Sinzo also wants to play with other kids, but from past experiences her mother says other kids pick on her and most of the time hurt her, so she prefers she stay home. She said she does this trying to protect her from the discrimination she is going through. Due to this her mother also decided not to take her to school since she doesn't want her daughter to be discriminated against. Sinzo's condition is congenital as her mother shared that she was born with a small swelling on the left side of her chest too. The doctors at the local hospital where she was delivered advised them not to worry and give her time to grow so that they can see if there is a need for surgery. When she was two years old, her mass had grown significantly and made Sinzo really uncomfortable and caused her a lot of pain. Her mother tried to ask Sinzo's father to find means to take her to hospital, but she shared that the father never showed any plans or took action. Sinzo's mother kept asking for the father’s support, but this lead to violence in their family and eventually Sinzo's mother decided to leave her husband’s home. She left with Sinzo and moved back to her parents’ home. Sinzo's mother depends on small-scale farming to be able to support herself and her daughter. Sinzo's mother says she has tried seeking help for her daughter from their local hospital but they were sent to the referral hospital and with very little income she has never been able to do so. Through our Medical Partner's outreach team, they learned of Sinzo's condition and helped connect her to treatment. She has now been scheduled for surgery and her mother is requesting funding support. Sinzo’s mother says, “It hurts me to see my daughter in this state, please help fund my daughter’s treatment cost as I am not able to find such an amount of money.”

$724raised
Fully funded

Simon is a 3-month old baby boy from Tanzania and the only child to his parents. He was born healthy but when he was two months old he started having fevers and vomiting. His parents tried to seek treatment for him but the medication he was using only helped reduce the fevers. Soon his parents noticed his head was increasing in size and his general health became very poor due to the regular vomiting. His parents depend on small-scale farming for a living and their income is not always enough to get them by. Due to financial challenges, Simon's parents could not afford to take him to a referral hospital in time, hence his condition worsened. Through ALMC Hospital's outreach program, they learned about Simon's condition and the need for him to get treatment. Simon has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus which is putting him in danger of brain damage due to the pressure building up in his head, causing him not to be able to feed well and regular fevers. His parents cannot afford the treatment cost and are asking for help. Simon has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Simon has been experiencing increasing head circumference, fevers and vomiting. Without treatment, Simon will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,300 to cover the cost of surgery for Simon that will treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on September 7th and will drain the excess fluid from Simon's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Simon will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Simon’s mother says, “My son’s head keeps increasing in size and his general health deteriorates as days go by, we are unable to afford the treatment cost. Please help us.”

$1,300raised
Fully funded