Rebecca MoonUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Rebecca's Story

Rebecca joined Watsi on September 19th, 2016. Seven years ago, Rebecca joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Rebecca's most recent donation supported Kyaw, a father and farmer from Burma, to fund fracture repair surgery.

Impact

Rebecca has funded healthcare for 87 patients in 8 countries.

Patients funded by Rebecca

Kyaw is a 25-year-old father from Burma. He used to work as a farmer and a day laborer, but he had to stop working seven months ago due to his accident. Kyaw's family grows paddy for their consumption and raises chickens and pigs. During his free time, Kyaw enjoys exercising. In April 2023, Kyaw fell from a tree while collecting honey, resulting in a fracture in his right femur. Since then, he has experienced significant pain and swelling in his right leg, making it difficult for him to walk. Currently, Kyaw relies on crutches to get around. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Kyaw will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for November 15th and will cost $1,500. The surgery is essential for Kyaw's recovery, as it will alleviate his pain and help him walk comfortably again. Kyaw said, "I was shocked and disappointed after knowing that the surgery would cost more than 40,000 baht (approx. 1,335 USD). I want to get the surgery and recover, but I have no idea who will support me and where I can get that much money. If I recover, I will work and support my family. Now that I learned that BMCF will help me get surgery, I feel so happy and excited."

$699raised
$801to go

Saw resides in a refugee camp along the Thai-Burma Border with his wife, two daughters, and son-in-law. His wife is a homemaker, and Saw stopped working as a day laborer due to his worsening health. He is proud of his family: One of his daughters is a student, the other is a pharmacist, and his son-in-law is a medic at the camp's hospital. He likes to forage for vegetables in his free time. Saw has been diagnosed with a right irreducible inguinal hernia and is scheduled to undergo hernia repair surgery in October. This surgery is essential to relieve his pain and discomfort and improve his overall quality of life. Saw said, “I want this discomfort and pain to disappear. I cannot do anything because of the pain. I hope that after surgery, I will be able to have a normal life again and will no longer be in any discomfort.”

$687raised
$799to go

Ma Pyae lives with her mother, brother, sister, and niece in Yangon Division, Burma. She works in a sewing factory, her younger sister is a day laborer, and her older brother is unemployed due to illness. Her mother is a homemaker, and her niece is a student. Their combined family income is enough to cover their daily expenses, but they cannot afford expensive surgery. Ma Pyae was born with a congenital heart defect, but her condition has deteriorated, and she has experienced fast breathing, heart palpitations, and cannot sleep. She went to see the doctor, received an echocardiogram, and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that affects the blood flowing through the lungs. Ma Pyae needs surgery as soon as possible. She still experiences heart palpitations and fast breathing if she is more active or walks a longer distance. She cannot sleep well at night because of her heart palpitations. Ma Pyae said, "I am a bit worried about my surgery, and I also worry that I will lose my job in the factory. After I recover from my surgery, I will continue to work in the same factory and contribute to my family."

$1,063raised
$437to go

Siek Meng is a 15-year-old who resides in the Prey Veng province of Cambodia with her parents and two younger brothers. Her parents make a living as rice farmers, and when Siek Meng returns home from school, she helps care for her siblings. During her free time, she enjoys learning English by watching English-language films and television shows. She aspires to pursue higher education in the capital of Phnom Penh and study medicine in the future. Around the age of 6, Siek Meng and her parents noticed something concerning about her back. However, they postponed seeking treatment until two years later due to the high cost of treatment and not considering it essential at that time. Unfortunately, the condition has since deteriorated, and she has been diagnosed with scoliosis, a deformity of the spine. In the past year, Siek Meng has experienced increased difficulty breathing as her rib cage presses on her lungs. Additionally, she occasionally feels numbness in her legs caused by her vertebrae compressing nerves. Thankfully, Siek Meng and her father undertook a challenging journey of two and a half hours to reach our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), seeking assistance for her disability. The medical team at CSC plans to perform a spinal fusion with implants on August 2nd, which requires financial support as the operation costs $1500. This amount will cover radiology, medications, surgery, and post-operative physiotherapy care. CSC is requesting $1500 to help fund this procedure for Siek Meng. Siek Meng shared, "I am feeling embarrassed about my back and I want to not have chest pain anymore. I hope after surgery I can go back to school and be able to walk around my village more easily."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Susan is a soft-spoken woman from Kenya. She is a widow and a mother of six children who are now all adults. She currently resides in her ancestral home in Limuru, Kenya. For four months, Susan has been experiencing pain and abnormal bleeding. She has been diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia, a precancerous condition that impacts her quality of life. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Susan's national health insurance coverage has not been active, and despite reactivation, she will have to wait for more than 60 days before using it. However, she is unable to continue living with her condition as is and urgently needs to undergo her procedure to rid her body of the risk of cancer. Her family cannot afford her treatment and is appealing for financial assistance. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1260 to fund Susan's surgery. On June 1st, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Susan will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Susan says, “I am old and need to get treatment for this bleeding condition. It is very uncomfortable.”

$613raised
$647to go

Dormaha is a four year old preschooler from Haiti. She lives with her parents in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, and likes dancing and watching cartoons. Dormaha suffers from a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. Blood leaks through a hole that exists between the two lower chambers of her heart, bypassing her lungs without obtaining the oxygen Dormaha requires. She needs surgery to prevent her from experiencing the weakness and shortness of breath that she currently lives with. The surgery that Dormaha needs is not currently available in Haiti, so she will be flying to the Dominican Republic to receive treatment. Fortunately, on May 18th, she will undergo cardiac surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT, during which surgeons will sew a patch over the hole to close it. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is contributing $8,000 to pay for the surgery. However, Dormaha's family also needs help to fund the costs of many other aspects of Dormaha's care. They are seeking $1,500 to pay for the lab tests, medicines, checkup and follow-up appointments, that are all part of Dormaha's critical treatment. This money will also go towards obtaining passports, and for the social workers from our medical partner, who will accompany Dormaha's family overseas during her care. Dormaha's mother said: "Our family has been hoping for this surgery ever since our daughter was a small baby, and we are very glad the chance has arrived!"

$777raised
$723to go

Phwe is a 29-year-old mother of three from Burma. She is a homemaker, who also helps her husband on the farm. In 2017, Phwe started to feel pain in her right lower jaw due to an incoming wisdom tooth. As a result, her jaw became inflamed and red. Eventually, a tumor started to grow in her right lower jaw. She underwent an operation in 2022 at Chiang Mai Hospital to remove the tumor and an infected part of her jaw. This procedure was followed by the insertion of a steel plate to stabilize the bone. Now, Phwe suffers from pain in her jaw again and also experiences facial asymmetry due to the placement of the steel plate. As her fracture has fully healed, Phwe would like to have the steel rod removed from her jaw. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, can help. On May 3rd, Phwe will undergo surgery to remove the rod at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. She needs your support to fund this $1,500 procedure. Phwe said: "I feel sad for me and my family because we are now fleeing from the civil war [in Burma]. I want to have the operation soon so that I can go back to be with my family. I want to make a full recovery soon because my treatment has now taken almost a year."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Denis is a 22-year-old motorbike driver - the third born in a family of six. His parents separated and now he lives with his mother. He shared that he dropped out of school in grade seven because his parents were not in a position to provide for all of them. His other siblings have been adopted by family members. Denis is single and is hoping to marry when he has a stable income. Currently, he is employed riding a motorbike as a taxi and his daily income is not always guaranteed. Denis needs to undergo surgery so that he can continue doing his normal activities and also reach his desired life of having a stable income and a family. When Denis visiting our medical partner's hospital, he was walking with a crutch and could not put any weight on his left leg. He had an x-ray film that showed a complete fracture of his left femur. His condition causes him pain and he is unable to continue with his work. Denis' family is not in a position to pay the medical fees, and his treatment will be a big financial burden to them. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On April 13, Denis will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Denis needs to undergo surgery so that he can continue doing his normal activities and also reach his desired life of having a stable income and a family. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1145 to fund this procedure. Denis says, "It has been hard to carry out my normal duties. I really look forward to getting well so that I can fully depend on myself as before.”

$1,145raised
Fully funded

Naw Lah is a 35-year-old woman who lives with her husband and her daughter in a refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province. Naw Lah is a teacher, while her husband is a homemaker caring for their three-year-old daughter. Every month, they receive 864 baht (approx. 28.80 USD) on a cash card from the organization The Border Consortium. This amount combined with the 1,200 baht (approx. 40 USD) from her salary is not enough to cover their family's daily needs. They receive free basic health care in the refugee camp, provided by Malteser International (MI) Thailand but this does note cover surgery, including the c-section that she needs. Naw Lah is currently expecting her second child. Due to complications during her previous delivery, the doctors recommend that she should receive a C-section this time to avoid risk of complications. This way, doctors can ensure the safety of both mother and child. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Naw Lah undergo a C-Section on March 1st. This procedure will cost $1500, and Naw Lah needs your support. “I hope to have a boy because my previous baby is a girl. But I will love my baby regardless if they are a girl or a boy,” she said.

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Meet Zipporah, who is almost three years old. She has four siblings and lives with them and her parents in Nairobi County in Kenya. Zipporah was healthy at birth. However, when she was about one year old, her mother noticed a swelling in her right thigh, which appeared to affect her mobility. Subsequently, Zipporah was diagnosed with Coxa vara, a deformity of the hip, which causes a shortening of the leg. As a result of her condition, Zipporah limps and experiences pain in her hip. With the help of our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, Zipporah is now scheduled to undergo surgery to correct her deformity on February 27th, at AIC Cure International Hospital. This procedure, which will cost $1,224, will prevent further deterioration of her condition. Zipporah and her parents need help to fund the costs of this life-changing surgery. “We would like to request support from well-wishers to help my daughter undergo surgery so that she can resume walking well like other children and enroll in school.” Zipporah’s mother told us.

$1,224raised
Fully funded

Meet Slai, a 41-year-old man who lives alone, and works as a security guard at night. In June 2020, when Slai was living in Burma, he started to sneeze frequently, and he also developed a constantly runny nose. Additionally, his nose became swollen, and his right nostril became blocked, making it difficult for Slai to breathe through his nose. At the local hospital, he was diagnosed with nasal polyps, and was given medication to treat his condition. However, when he moved to Thailand in January 2022, his symptoms returned, and doctors recommended surgery so he can breathe well again. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, can help Slai access the treatment that he needs. On January 11th, Slai will undergo surgery to remove the polyps at Mae Sot General Hospital. Slai is looking to you to help raise the $1,500 to cover the cost of this procedure, which will allow him to breathe freely again. Slai said: "After completing my treatment, I want to be legally employed as a worker in Thailand. Driving is my profession, so I want to work as a driver, but I would be happy with any work opportunity.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Meet David, a 29-year-old boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) rider from Kenya. He and his wife have two children. David's income supports their family, but he was recently injured in a hit-and-run accident that compromised his mobility. David was driving his boda-boda when he was hit by another car. An x-ray revealed that he fractured his right leg and dislocated his right ankle. David has a cast on his leg and uses crutches to walk. He needs to undergo surgery to heal. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On December 15th, David will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Once he fully recovers from his treatment, David will be able to walk again and take care of his family. AMH is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. David says, "I rely on my legs to ride my motorbike. This is how I feed my family. With this fracture, I am unable to work and provide for them. Therefore, I appeal for your support."

$1,500raised
Fully funded