Franklin Hu
Franklin's Story

Franklin joined Watsi on December 31st, 2014. 39 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Franklin's most recent donation traveled 8,500 miles to support Mercy, a 46-year-old woman from Kenya, to fund leg surgery so she can walk and work again.

Impact

Franklin has funded healthcare for 84 patients in 12 countries.

Patients funded by Franklin

Margaret has long-standing bilateral hearing loss in both her left and right ears. This began when she had malaria over ten years ago and was treated with a quinine drug that may have affected her ears. Despite this, she shared that she is determined to raise her kid and take care of her family. She has been relying on relatives for rent and money for upkeep after the death of her husband last year. Margaret needs hearing aids to help to restore her hearing and hopes to even start a small business to earn a better income afterwards. She was advised by a friend to visit Kijabe Hospital for a checkup and possible treatment. In late February, she visited the hospital and tests confirmed that she could hear again with the use of hearing aids. Unfortunately, she is unable to afford the cost of the hearing aids and fitting, and her medical coverage will not cover it either. She was grateful to get one (left) hearing aid from a donation to the hospital but is requesting help with the right hearing aid. Margaret is a mother of three aged between 18 and 12 years. She lives in a two-room house costing Ksh 5000 (USD 50) per month. Life's pressures and the desire to be independent have driven her to seek treatment help at Kijabe Hospital and she is hopeful to be feeling well soon. Margaret says, “I want to be independent and take care of my kids. It is hard for me to even start a business because I cannot hear my customers. I hope these hearing aids will help me communicate well again.”

$588raised
Fully funded

Myint is a 57-year-old man who lives by himself in a village in Burma. His wife lives in Thailand, but since she lost her work due to COVID-19, she hasn't been able to send back money for basic things like she usually does. They are in a hard postion because she also cannot come back to Burma because she doesn’t feel safe because of civil war that has started. Myint is a day labourer who earns 3,000 kyat (approx. 3 USD) per day. His monthly income of 100,000 kyat (approx. 100 USD) is not enough to cover his daily expenses nor pay for basic health care. Last month, Myint went out fishing and he caught a catfish. While he tried to hang the fish, the catfish fell onto his left instep. The catfish’s fin which is poisonous injured his left instep. He went to small clinic and got treatment. But his wound did not improve and instead he had swelling and it become infected. The village clinic doctor told him if the wound is not improve to go to see the specialist. Since he didn't have money, Myint went to visit a monk to seek the treatment. The monk gave him traditional medicine (an herb) for the wound. However, after using the traditional medicine for one month, his foot continued to worsen. Eventually, his friend recommended that he seek treatment at Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital (MCLH). At the hospital, the doctor examined his foot and saw that he had developed an ulcer. The doctor said that they would need to perform surgery on his ulcer to clean it properly and remove any damaged or necrotic tissue. When Myint told the doctor he had no money to pay for the surgery, the doctor referred him to our Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund for assistance accessing further treatment. Currently, Myint’s left foot is swollen and the skin around his ulcer is discoloured. He cannot sleep well at night due to the pain. He also has difficulty sleeping due to worrying about his foot and his economic situation. He is worried that if his leg has to be amputated, he will not be able to earn money to support his family. He's trying to remain hopeful and told us, “In the future I would like to grow and sell mushrooms so that I can support my family financially.”

$694raised
Fully funded

Eh is a 16-year-old boy who lives with his parents and cousin in the refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province in Thailand. His family receives 1,180 baht (approx. 39 USD) every month on a food card from the organization The Border Consortium. This amount is not enough to cover their daily needs despite receiving free basic health care and education in the camp. To help make ends meet, Eh’s father works as a security guard in the camp too, earning 800 baht (approx. 27 USD) in a month. In addition to this, Eh’s mother and cousin work as day labourers whenever they find work. Eh also works with them during his summer vacations. In May, Eh climbed up a ladder to lay down and rest in a bamboo hut on stilts. While trying to sit down, one of the bamboo sticks rolled out from under him and Eh fell through the floor of the hut. Putting out his left arm subconsciously to break his fall, Eh ended up landing on that arm. Currently, Eh's arm is in a sling and he is taking pain medication to control the pain. If he moves his left arm or tries to lift his arm, he feels a lot of pain. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Eh will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for May 28th and will cost $1,500. This procedure will help Eh be able to use his arm again and he will no longer be in pain after surgery. Eh shared, “I want to become a literature teacher as it is my favorite subject. After surgery, I hope that I can go back to school with my arm healed."

$1,500raised
Fully funded