Elizabeth StraghalisUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Elizabeth's Story

Elizabeth joined Watsi on June 24th, 2013. Six years ago, Elizabeth joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Elizabeth's most recent donation supported Naw Gay, a mother of two and refugee from Thailand, to fund a C-section to deliver her baby safely.

Impact

Elizabeth has funded healthcare for 68 patients in 11 countries.

Patients funded by Elizabeth

Kalar is a 53-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her mother and daughter in Htantabin Township, Yangon Division village. Kalar used to sell vegetables, but she stopped in October because her condition was worsening. Kalar's mother is a homemaker. Kalar's daughter left school three years ago because she couldn't afford the school fees. Currently, she is working in a restaurant. Their monthly income is not enough for their daily expenses, and they have to borrow money from their friends to make ends meet and pay for basic medical costs. In 2017, Kalar's upper abdomen was in pain, and she went to a hospital in the village. There, she received an ultrasound, and the doctor told her that she had a small stone in her gall bladder and she would need medication to reduce the stone. She felt much better after taking the medication, and she didn't go to any clinic or hospital after that. In October 2023, Kalar's symptoms returned, and she visited the hospital in the town where she received the ultrasound. At the hospital, the doctor confirmed that Kalar had a large gallstone and would require surgery to heal. She could not afford to pay for the surgery, so she received medication and returned home. Her condition gradually got worse. Kalar has not been eating or sleeping well and is in pain. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Kalar will be able to undergo gallbladder removal surgery on November 18th. BCMF requests $1,487 to cover Kalar's procedure and care costs. Kalar said, "I was upset because I couldn't work and support my mother and daughter. Now, I am so happy! I want to say thank you to all of the donors for supporting my surgery."

$950raised
$537to go

Israeli is a six-month-old infant from Tanzania. His father works in the mines in Mererani, while his mother, Mary, is a homemaker responsible for caring for the children. Maintaining a decent standard of living has been challenging due to the family’s size, and they rely on only two meals per day. Since he was born, Israeli has faced issues with his right foot. His foot is twisted right and downwards. Although he is not at the walking stage in his development now, his foot will make it difficult to walk when he does reach that stage. For the past four months, Mary has traveled from one care center to another seeking out treatment for Israeli but was unable to find help until she heard about our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH). Mary traveled over 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) from her village to Arusha, Tanzania to visit AMH's care center. Doctors at AMH's care center diagnosed Israeli with clubfoot. To rectify the angle of his foot, Doctors will manipulate and stretch the tissues around the foot, then apply a cast to hold the corrected position. Following this, Israeli will undergo tenotomy surgery, where surgeons will length his Achilles tendon. Surgeons at AMH's care center will perform these procedures on June 9th. Now, AMH is requesting $935 to fund Israeli's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily once he reaches a walking stage. Israeli's mother says, "I wish my son gets better like his older sibling and grows up to have a good life ahead."

$935raised
Fully funded