Chris DeMuth Jr
Chris' Story

Chris joined Watsi on December 19th, 2015. 25 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Chris' most recent donation traveled 8,800 miles to support Nana, a milk and noodle-loving baby from Cambodia, to fund burn repair surgery on her fingers so she can use her hand again.

Impact

Chris has funded healthcare for 483 patients in 13 countries.

Patients funded by Chris

Martin is a playful and friendly young boy and the last-born in a family of six children. Martin has not started going to school yet, but his father plans to enroll him in two years. Martin's father says life has been tough for him and his family since he fell sick for most of 2020, something that he says made life for his family tough. Prior to falling ill, Martin's father was a hardworking man practicing small-scale farming to provide food for his family and was also a catechist at their local catholic church. For over a year Martin's father was moved from one hospital to another seeking treatment. Martin's parents were forced to sell most of their property to cover the resulting medical bills. In 2021, Martin's father's health returned and he was able to grow his strength back. Martin's father moved their family to another village for a fresh start. They are now slowly rebuilding their life with the hope of restoring their livelihood once more. Since then, Martin has been diagnosed with Left Genu Varus meaning his leg is bent at the knee so that they do not touch. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, it is difficult for him to walk. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is raising $880 to fund corrective surgery for Martin. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 5th. Treatment will hopefully restore Martin's mobility, allow him to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease his risk of future complications. Martin’s father says, “Because of the long period I was sick I was not able to provide for my family. My son now needs treatment, but I still can’t afford the cost.”

$880raised
Fully funded

Laurencia is a 9-year-old girl and the seventh born in a family of nine siblings. She is a student at the nearby primary school. Her parents are small-scale farmers who plant vegetables for sale and for the family's needs. Some of her siblings are in high school, so her father uses his small income to pay for their school fees and to provide for other family needs. They are from a semi-arid area which faces drought and most of their crops are sorghum and millet. There is a food and water shortage in the area, and they shared that bandits often attack them. Life has been quite challenging, but they have persevered. Laurencia came to AIC Kapsowar Hospital with a bandaged right arm. She had an x-ray from another facility, which showed that she had broken both the ulna and the radius after falling from a mango tree while harvesting mangoes. She is in pain and unable to use her hand. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On November 1st, Laurencia will undergo an open reduction and internal fixation surgical procedure to put the broken bones back in place. Her hand will be able to heal well and she will be able to use it again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $941 to fund this procedure. Laurencias’ father says, “This incident happened just when I was paying my other children's school fees. I am worried now that I cannot help my daughter when she is in need. Please help her so that she can be able to grow in a normal way.”

$941raised
Fully funded

Bizuayehu is a beautiful and cheerful girl from Ethiopia who loves to talk and play with her mother. She asks a lot of questions and she is eager to learn about things. She especially loves dolls. Her mother washes clothes and makes injera (a traditional Ethiopian food) for a living. Bizuayehu's father abandoned her mother when she was pregnant. She shared that there was a time when she couldn’t pay for her rent and was out in the streets for several months. This led to malnutrition for both of them but they were able to recover with help from the hospital's nutrition program. She is now living on her very limited income from making injera and washing people’s clothes in the neighborhood, and with support from another organization. Since birth, Bizuayehu has had a bilateral inguinal hernia. The bulge is usually visible when she cries, coughs or strains. She also gets irritable and has reduced appetite. Fortunately there is a cure and on October 6th, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $591 to fund Bizuayehu's surgery. Once completed, this procedure will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and confidently. Bizuayehu's mother says, “Once my child gets better and cured she can join a daycare and I can do a better job to earn a better income. And I hope she will do well at school. I would like to thank BKMCM for all the support I got. I would also like also to thank our donors for this surgery. I don’t know what I could do if it was not for you and all the people at different times who supported me and encouraged me. I have been supported and gone through so many challenges, but I have had people by my side. I am thankful to God for this blessing.”

$591raised
Fully funded