Nathan's Story

Nathan joined Watsi on January 31st, 2021. Three years ago, Nathan joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Nathan's most recent donation supported Christopher, a 12-year-old boy from Haiti, to fund heart surgery.

Impact

Nathan has funded healthcare for 35 patients in 10 countries.

Patients funded by Nathan

Marife is a loving wife and mother from the Philippines. She previously worked as a janitor at Makati Medical Center but had to quit to give more time to her daughter, who has difficulty breathing with asthma. Marife occasionally does freelance work, but their family mostly depends on the income her husband makes as a janitor. Marife and her family reside in a Housing Relocation Site provided by the National Housing Authority. One year ago, Marife began to experience troubling symptoms, including vomiting and extreme abdominal pain. She described it as even worse pain than when she gave birth. For a year, she tried various medications and home remedies to help ease the pain, but to no avail. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Marife was diagnosed with cholelithiasis, or gallstones. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Marife is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) on October 21st. 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 Marife's surgery and care. Marife says, "This surgery will be a great help for me and my family as it will regain my confidence. I have been through depression since I first felt my symptoms. This illness sacrificed my supervision and parenting time with my daughter. I had come to the point of being hopeless but thanks to this hospital and the donors I will fight and continue my life. I hope they can help more people like me who need an operation. Thank you very much."

$571raised
$556to go

Samuel is a toddler from Ethiopia. He is the second child and loves playing with his older brother. He also loves to take milk and Plumpy Nuts, a nutritional treatment donated by the government for malnourishment, as many children in Samuel’s area experience malnutrition. Samuel’s parents separated, and he, along with his siblings, is being cared for by his mother. She works in the community market, which is a community-organized venture that operates one day a week. On the other days, his mother buys and sells bread from bread makers for a profit. Due to the area’s high poverty levels and rocky topography, drought and water shortages limit food production, so many families receive food donations of maize and wheat from the government, which also helps Samuel’s mom support her family. Samuel was born with hypospadias, a congenital abnormality that causes urinary dysfunction. His mom brought him to a local health center, where he was referred to the hospital. Unfortunately, before treatment could begin, war broke out and forced Samuel and his mother to return home without any treatment. Samuel’s mom has been deeply concerned about his health. However, she was filled with hope after meeting with a social worker from our medical partner’s care center and learning that Samuel’s condition is treatable. With that hope, she traveled three days to the care center for Samuel's surgery. Samuel is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on December 12th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Without treatment, he will continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms and will be at risk of infertility. Samuel’s mom said, “I hope I will see my child healed and pass urine just like other children.”

$1,293raised
Fully funded

Ann is a 45-year-old woman from Kenya and a mother of four children aged between 23-27 years old. Her husband passed away in 1999. Her children have been unable to secure steady jobs, and Ann works as a casual laborer washing clothes to provide a living. However, she shared that her income is inconsistent, as it depends on the availability of work. She lives alone in a single room. Ann does not have medical coverage and is requesting assistance with her treatment costs. In April 2023, Ann slipped and fell on the road causing a fracture in her right wrist. She went to a local pharmacy for first aid and has since been using hot water and salt to treat the fracture due to a lack of medical coverage. However, her hand has continued to swell, and she is in chronic pain, making it challenging to use her right hand. A church member recommended Ann visit Kijabe Mission Hospital for review. Through church members’ contributions, Ann received an X-ray, and the doctor recommended she undergo surgery to treat the fracture. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On May 15th, Ann will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will heal the broken bones and enable her to use her hand again. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Ann says: “I can’t use my hand because it is broken. I am unable to work and sometimes sleep hungry because I depend on my hand to work and earn a living. I need the surgery to earn a livelihood.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Seint, who is 34 years old, lives with her parents and her aunt in Ayeyarwaddy Division in Burma. Her parents and her aunt make and sell mats from their home. When Seint was 13-years old, she noticed she started to easily tire, experienced heart palpitations, and had barely enough energy to play with her friends. Her mother took her to a nearby clinic, where the doctor examined her and told them that she had congenital heart disease. The doctor gave Seint medication, which she used together with traditional medicine. Both helped her to feel better. In November 2022, Seint felt extremely tired and experienced heart palpitations while she was completing physical exercises with her students. She also had difficulty breathing, and her vision became blurred. Her mother took her to a clinic, where she received medications which helped her to feel better. A few days later, however, she started to experience pain in her back whenever she felt tired. She also started to have difficulty breathing again, and had heart palpitations. Her mother brought her to a hospital in Yangon, where she received an echocardiogram that allowed the doctor to diagnose her with atrial septal defect. After additional testing, the doctor scheduled her to undergo urgent heart surgery at Pun Hlaing Hospital. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is seeking $1,500 to fund Seint's surgery, which will allow her to regain her health, and to live symptom free. Seint said: "I would like to recover as soon as possible. In the future, I will continue to work as a teacher. I love teaching students and wearing our school uniform proudly."

$1,500raised
Fully funded