murat goldstaynUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
murat's Story

murat joined Watsi on January 14th, 2014. Nine years ago, murat joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. murat's most recent donation traveled 4,600 miles to support Thy, a 43-year-old mother from Cambodia, to fund surgery to repair her broken wrist so she can return to work.

Impact

murat has funded healthcare for 212 patients in 15 countries.

Patients funded by murat

Zaw, who is 29 years old, lives with his wife and extended family members in Karen State, Burma. He and his wife are currently unemployed, although Zaw hopes to work as a second-hand motorbike seller. Zaw has had an irregular heartbeat since he was 10 years old. Although he visited a local clinic as a child, he was never provided a definitive diagnosis. By January 2022, he began to experience fatigue. His back and neck were stiff, and he lost his appetite. He also had difficulty sleeping, experienced a persistent cough and body aches, and his lips turned blue. After multiple hospital visits, Zaw was told he had a heart condition that required surgery. Unable to afford surgery in Burma, Zaw sought affordable care at Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) in Thailand. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, he received a free echocardiogram, which revealed he had mitral valve regurgitation, atrial valve regurgitation, pulmonary valve regurgitation, and patent ductus arteriosus. He is now scheduled for a procedure at Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital in Bangkok on April 18th to repair or replace three of his valves and address any other issues with his heart. Currently, Zaw continues to experience fatigue, thus he is unable to work. He experiences shortness of breath and a racing heartbeat, for which he requires oxygen therapy three times a day. He needs your help to raise the $1,500 to fund his life-changing surgery. Zaw said: “I want to be free from this disease as soon as possible. Thank you all for helping with my treatment cost.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Trizah is an 18-month-old baby girl who is especially playful around her mother. Trizah lives with her parents and three siblings in Kenya, where her mother works as a casual laborer washing clothes, and her father is employed at a welding workshop. Because of the hydrocephalus she was diagnosed with early on, Trizah has already undergone more than three surgeries in her young life. She had a shunt insertion procedure done a few days after her birth, which needed to be revised in May 2022. Her hydrocephalus has worsened, requiring the placement of two external ventricular drains in 2023. Sadly, the revised shunt has failed, and Trizah is now in need of another surgery to have a new shunt inserted to drain the excess fluids in her brain and alleviate the intracranial pressure caused by the fluids. Trizah also needs surgery to stop the convulsions she has been experiencing, and prevent the severe physical and developmental delays that result from untreated hydrocephalus. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of the surgery to treat her hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on February 22nd at BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital. The excess fluid will be drained from Trizah's brain, reducing the intracranial pressure, and greatly improving her quality of life. With proper treatment, Trizah should develop into a strong and healthy young girl. Trizah’s mother says: “She has been having surgeries since birth. Her head is increasing in size, and she is experiencing scary convulsions. I just hope this treatment will help her to recover.”

$720raised
Fully funded