Laura's Story

Laura joined Watsi on October 28th, 2013. Four years ago, Laura joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Laura's most recent donation traveled 8,500 miles to support Ramadhan, a 4-year-old boy from Kenya, to fund clubfoot surgery to allow him to walk and play.

Impact

Laura has funded healthcare for 76 patients in 12 countries.

Patients funded by Laura

Enita comes from Ntcheu District and is a widow who lost her husband in 2011. She has 6 children of which the first four are married while the last two are aged 18 and 16 respectively. She is a farmer who is also supported by her last two children. Enita is grateful when she has time to rest and enjoys eating anything available. Enita was well until 10 years ago when she noted a small lump on the right side of her neck that was not painful. She did not bother visiting the hospital since this problem did not affect her daily activities. As time passed, the lump kept on growing bigger and bigger though without pain up until December 2023 when she shared that things got out of hand with her condition. She noted a blister that was very painful and affected her daily activities. She decided to visit her son who lives in the city of Lilongwe where different tests were done, and a diagnosis of goiter was made at Kamuzu Central Hospital. She was then referred to our medical partner's care center Partners in Hope Medical Center (PIH) for further management. Currently, she is experiencing pains from the scratched wound on her neck, neck heaviness, and frequent coughs that have affected her daily activities. On January 19th, Enita met the surgeon who confirmed the diagnosis of right goiter and the need for surgical intervention called thyroidectomy, which is the removal of part of the thyroid gland. Enita was referred to the Watsi program for assessment due to her financial instability. After a thorough assessment, she was eligible and thanks everyone for their consideration. Her daughter-in-law is helping commit some funds for her treatment support and their family needs help raising $1,015. Enita believes that the surgery will help her get better and continue to live a normal life. She shared, “Kindly help me. I need my peace of mind.”

$476raised
$539to go

Emelita is a loving grandmother from the Philippines. Emelita has five children and is currently living with one of them. When she was younger, she worked hard as a laundrywoman to make ends meet for her family. Now that she is physically weaker due to her age, she takes care of her grandchildren and helps her daughter with the household chores. Three years ago, Emelita began to experience troubling symptoms, including severe stomach pain, upper back pain, fatigue, and rapid exhaustion. Whenever she feels her symptoms, she cannot perform her day-to-day tasks. She also knows that her daughter and grandchildren worry about her condition and are affected whenever she is in pain. After seeking treatment, Emelita has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Emelita is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on October 14th. A portion of the cost of the procedure is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is raising the remaining $1,128 to cover the cost of Emelita's surgery and care. Emelita says, "I am very grateful for this surgery opportunity because it will help me and my family. I feel like I have been a burden to them, especially when my symptoms act up. This surgery will enable me to regain my ability to do my day-to-day tasks and household activities to help my family."

$555raised
$573to go

Reuben is a 60-year-old labourer from Kenya. He hails from Rungiri in Central Kenya. He is married and has two young children. Reuben does casual jobs either at construction sites or any other that may be available. His wife is a homemaker taking care of the children. Being the only breadwinner, Reuben has been doing well in his jobs. But about two weeks ago, he was given the job of picking avocados. Unfortunately, the ladder he was using accidentally fell, and thus he also fell to the ground. He sustained an injury to his right hand and was taken to the hospital where an x-ray was done and confirmed a fracture. A bandage was applied and he was advised of the need for orthopedic surgery and asked to go to a bigger hospital. He opted to come to Nazareth Hospital where the surgery can be performed. Due to his socioeconomic status, Reuben and his family cannot raise the fee for this treatment and require help. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On September 14th, Reuben will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. If untreated, Reuben may not be able to use his hand, and the fracture may fail to heal properly, leading to deformity. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. Reuben says: “I am the breadwinner of my family and have no one to turn to for these treatment charges. I kindly request to be assisted so that I can be well, go back to do my job and feed my young family."

$1,049raised
Fully funded