Mark's Story

Mark joined Watsi on January 9th, 2015. Nine years ago, Mark joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Mark's most recent donation traveled 8,500 miles to support George, a 3-year-old boy from Kenya, to fund surgery to repair a birth condition.

Impact

Mark has funded healthcare for 103 patients in 14 countries.

Patients funded by Mark

Meet Charles, a 56-year-old father of five children from Uganda. Despite being orphaned at a young age, he has proven himself to be a smart and respected businessman. Due to his circumstances, Charles was only able to complete primary school. His tearoom business has been the main source of income for his family, enabling him to support his children's education and sustain their livelihood. However, recently, the tearoom business has been facing challenges, resulting in reduced profits. To cope with the family expenses, Charles and his wife have taken up farming alongside the tearoom business. In his free time, he enjoys listening to the radio to stay informed about current affairs. Since 2022, Charles has been dealing with a medical issue called a hydrocele, which causes swelling around his groin. This condition has been causing him pain while performing daily activities, discomfort while walking, and a persistent feeling of fullness in the scrotal area when he stands for long periods. After consulting with a doctor, he was diagnosed with a non-communicating hydrocele. The doctor advised him to undergo hydrocelectomy to prevent potential complications, such as infections that could be life-threatening. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. Charles is scheduled to undergo hydrocele repair surgery on August 2nd at AMH's care center. AMH is now requesting $139 to help fund Charles's surgery. Once the procedure is completed, it is hoped that he will experience improved comfort and confidence in his daily life. Charles says, "Surgery is the only hope I'm left with to restore my health. Without your support, I have no other way to pay for my surgery and hence I appeal for your support.”

$146raised
Fully funded

Ashin Mala is a 30-year-old monk from Burma. He became a monk a year ago and currently lives in a monastery in Karen State. He receives two meals a day and cash donations from worshippers. In October 2022, he visited the house of a member of the ethnic armed group in the village. At the home, a child was playing with a pistol and accidentally shot the gun, hitting a wall. Unfortunately, a part of the bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit Mala in his left eye. Immediately, Ashin Mala was brought to a hospital, where an X-ray showed that bullet shards were lodged under his left eye. The doctor removed most of the bullet shards and closed the gunshot wound. Though time has since passed, he still feels pain in his left eye and has lost vision in that eye. He has also developed itchiness and a burning sensation in that eye. Eventually, he was brought to Mae Sot Hospital in Thailand, where, with the help of Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) and Watsi donors, he underwent a CT scan. The results showed multiple foreign bodies in his left eye, most likely shards left from the bullet, and indicated that his left eyeball was most likely ruptured. He was then referred to Chiang Mai Hospital (CMH), where an ophthalmologist told him they would have to remove his left eyeball. He was then admitted for surgery at CMH on February 22nd. Mala needs help raising $1500 to fund this procedure that will relieve him of his pain. Ashin Mala said, "I believe my pain will disappear after the operation. I want to get rid of the pain. Afterward, I will work hard to attend Dhamma University. I want to become a preacher. I will preach about Dharma [the teachings of Buddha] around my country.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded