Boris JabesUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Boris' Story

Boris joined Watsi on September 8th, 2014. Nine years ago, Boris joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Boris' most recent donation traveled 9,000 miles to support Oliver, a 61-year-old farmer from Malawi, to fund breast cancer surgery.

Impact

Boris has funded healthcare for 113 patients in 13 countries.

Patients funded by Boris

Oliver is a married mother of four children, all of whom are married with children except the last one who is still in school. She is a farmer together with her husband. Her second child, a daughter, has been there for her support throughout her illness. Oliver likes chatting with her daughter and enjoys eating nsima made from cassava maize flour served with fresh fish. Oliver was well until one year ago when she noted a small lump on her right breast that was not painful. She visited her nearest hospital where some pain medication was provided. She visited many other hospitals after noting that the growth was becoming bigger as time passed. At one of the hospitals, a diagnosis of suspected breast cancer was made before proceeding to Kamuzu Central Hospital for further assessments. At Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), different tests were done, and a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma was made followed by four cycles of neoadjuvant therapy. Oliver was later scheduled for surgery on January 15th this year but unfortunately, she did not report back since she did not have the funds. On January 29th, Oliver went back to KCH where she was referred to our medical partner's care center Partners in Hope Medical Center (PIH) so that she can undergo surgery more urgently. Of late, Oliver has been experiencing needle pricking pains, and weakness affecting her farm work plus household chores as a mother. On January 30th, Oliver reported to PIH and met the surgeon who confirmed the need for a modified radical mastectomy. Modified radical mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast, including the nipple, areola, and skin plus most axillary lymph nodes. Oliver believes the surgical operation will help her get back home in a good condition and enable her to resume her farm work. Oliver said, “Kindly remove this breast for me to have my peace of mind after getting rid of these bad symptoms that I experience, I would rather be able to move on in my age.”

$381raised
$813to go

Mary is a nine-year-old girl from Kenya. She is the 5th among six children being raised by a single mom. When Mary was three years old, she was diagnosed with a bow leg on her left leg. This is a condition where one's leg is curved outward at the knees. It affects her movement, ability to perform daily tasks, and her self-esteem. Mary is scheduled for corrective surgery on February 27th. After surgery, she will be able to walk and move better and gain self-confidence. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,224 to fund Mary's surgery. “I will be able to walk well like other children and continue with my studies,” Mary said.

$1,224raised
Fully funded

Marise is a 13-year-old student, living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with her parents and four siblings. Marise has a cardiac condition called congenital aortic valve stenosis. As a result of this condition, one of the four valves in Marise's heart is much narrower than it should be, making her heart strain to push blood through the valve. This leaves Marise weak, and unable to participate in physical activities. The care she needs is not available in Haiti so Marise will fly to the Dominican Republic, where on February 9th, she will undergo surgery at Hospital CEDIMAT, during which her valve will be repaired. While another organization is helping to support the cost of Marise's surgery, our medical partner, International Cardiac Alliance, is seeking $1,500 to cover her care costs including pre and post operative medical care, and travel expenses for Marise's family, and the social worker who will accompany them for her surgery. Marise shared: "I am looking forward to being able to stop worrying about my heart after surgery."

$688raised
$812to go

Htwe is a 61-year-old man living with his wife, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece, in a refugee camp in Thailand. His wife and his brother-in-law are day laborers, while his sister-in-law is a homemaker. His niece is a student. Htwe is currently unemployed. Since 2021, Htwe has lived with an incarcerated inguinal hernia. This hernia causes him discomfort when he walks and pain. It is because of his condition that Htwe has been unable to work. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Htwe's hernia repair surgery, which is scheduled for October 12th at Mae Sot General Hospital. Once he has recovered, Htwe's symptoms should finally be resolved, allowing him to return to work, and to a more comfortable life. Htwe said: "I want to recover so that I can find work to make money for my family. Now we have a hard time trying to make ends meet, as we do not have a regular income. I am the only one that eats without work. Thank you to all the kind people who are supporting my costs."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Khin is a 49-year-old refugee living with her father, her daughter and her younger sister in a refugee camp, in Tak Province along the Thail-Burma border. Her family fled from Karen State, Burma to Thailand in 2017 because of the conflict in their area. Khin’s father is retired and her daughter is a student. Khin’s sister looks after their retired father at home. Khin Mar is a day labourer in the camp. However, the job is not available every day. Every month her family receives 1,200 baht (approx. 40 USD) on a cash card from the organization The Border Consortium. This amount combined with her monthly salary is enough to cover their daily needs. They receive free basic health care provided by the International Rescue Committee in the camp but surgical care is not available there. In the middle of 2023, Khin noticed pain in her lower abdomen. Still, she did not go to the hospital or clinic as she thought the process was normal for women who are getting older and close to menopause. However, in the beginning of November, she noticed that the pain worsened and now the pain is constant. She visited the hospital in the camp, where the medic gave her some medication and she returned home. The pain did not resolve and continued. On 13 November, she returned to the hospital in the camp where she met with the doctor and the doctor performed an ultrasound for her and told her that there is a mass in her uterus. The doctor told her that they will refer her to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) where she received another ultrasound, and the doctor diagnosed her with uterine myoma - a benign tumour in the uterus and also told her that she needs surgery to remove the mass as well as her whole uterus. Khin has been experiencing lower abdominal pain and back pain almost every day now. She cannot sleep as she worries that if she receives surgery, she will not be able to work and will not have income. At the same time, she also feels hard to perform her job well as she feels that her back pain makes it worse for her when she washes clothes. If left untreated, Khin's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. Fortunately, Khin is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy which will heal her condition on December 4th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the cost of her procedure and care. After surgery, she will no longer in pain and she will be able to continue her job comfortably like before. Khin said, “if I do not work, I worry that I will not have enough income for my family and also when I heard that I need surgery, I worry about the surgery cost. When I heard that there will be a donor for me, my father and I are very happy as we know we cannot afford to pay for this expensive surgery.”

$940raised
$560to go

Su said, "I gave up after I learned the surgery would cost more than we could ever pay. I thought about taking medications to control my symptoms until my time came to go. But now I feel less stressed. Thank you so much for releasing us from our financial problem. I am looking forward to returning to work once I recover." Su lives with her husband, who works as a baker. She stopped working as a factory worker in August due to her deteriorating health and is currently unemployed. Back in 2016, Su began experiencing occasional tiredness, which worsened with physical activity. She also has difficulty sleeping, irregular heartbeat, and loss of appetite. Subsequent investigations, including an ECHO and ECG, revealed she needs a heart surgery called mitral valve replacement. After the surgery, she will no longer experience tiredness, irregular heartbeat, or difficulty sleeping.

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Timoth is a 22-year-old man from Nairobi County, Kenya. He has five siblings and lived with his father in Murang'a for a while after his mother passed away. Timoth decided to move to Nairobi due to a difficult home situation, and for the past year, he has been driving a motorcycle as a casual laborer. On June 17th, 2023, Timoth was driving his motorcycle and was hit by another vehicle. He was rushed first to a nearby health center for first aid and then to our medical partner's care center. X-rays of Timoth's leg showed that he had a closed fracture in his left femur. Timoth said that since the accident, he's been experiencing a lot of pain, but he hopes to receive treatment so he can get back to his normal life. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. On June 22nd, Timoth will undergo a fracture repair procedure called open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will relieve Timoth of his pain and enable him to return to work. Now, AMH is requesting $1049 to help fund Timoth's procedure. Timoth is subsidizing $148.00 of this amount. Timoth said, "I had many plans for my life. I had hopes that once I completed paying for the Motorbike and it became mine, I would greatly improve my status. Unfortunately, this happened, and now I can only pray for support so that once recovery takes place, I can get back to my normal life"

$1,049raised
Fully funded

Ed is a 39-year-old father from Burma who lives with his wife and two sons. His sons are students, while his wife is a homemaker and volunteer at their church. In his spare time, Ed loves listening to gospel songs, reading the Bible, and preparing sermons for his congregation. In March 2023, Ed began passing blood in his urine and experiencing back pain in his left side. When medication from a pharmacy did not help, he sought treatment at a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a left ureter stone. Doctors want Ed to undergo Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), a procedure where high energy shock waves are passed through the body and used to break stones into pieces as small as grains of sand. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), can help. On August 11th, Ed will undergo ESWL at BCMF's care center. BCMF is requesting $1,125 to fund the treatment and Ed's care. Ed said, "Because of my condition, I have not gone to church for two weeks. The church members are worried about me and pray for me".

$1,125raised
Fully funded

Anastasia is a 12-month-old baby girl from Haiti. She lives with her parents and three older siblings in a small village in eastern Haiti where her parents are both farmers. Anastasia has a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect, meaning that a hole exists between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. Anastasia also has Down syndrome. Our medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) is helping Anastasia which is especially challenging as the treatment she needs is not available within Haiti. On August 2nd, she will fly to the Dominican Republic to undergo cardiac surgery, during which surgeons will close the hole with a patch so that blood can no longer leak through it. HCA is subsidizing $8,000 of the cost of transportation and treatment, and Anastasia's family is asking for $1,500 to help to fund the costs of surgery prep, labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments. It will support passport obtainment and the social workers from HCA who will accompany Anastasia's family overseas. Anastasia's mother shared, "Our family would like to say thank you to everyone who is helping to fix our daughter's heart."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Kennedy is a 28-year-old young man from Muchatha, Kimabu County in Kenya. He is the first born in a family of three children. His single mother has her own small business selling groceries. Kennedy just completed college and started working by riding a motorbike to earn money for his bus fare and to assist his mother in caring for the family. Unfortunately, on June 26th, as he was riding the motorcycle to pick up a customer, he was involved in a road traffic accident; he was hit by a vehicle and was hit on the right leg. He was brought to Nazareth Hospital and an x-ray showed an open fracture of the tibia on his right leg. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) can help. On June 29th, Kennedy will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation so that he will be able resume his job of driving a motorcycle. Kennedy is able to contribute $148 to the surgery, and he needs help raising $1,049 to fully fund the procedure. Kennedy says, "This is not the way I thought of my life. I kindly plead for help so that I can undergo this treatment. I can’t wait to see myself able to work again and support my mom."

$1,049raised
Fully funded

Emmanuel is a 39-year-old father of two from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He lives with his wife and children and works in sales at an electronics store. He has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect. There is a hole between the two upper chambers of his heart, which causes blood to leak out without first passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving him weak and short of breath. Because the care he needs is not available in Haiti, Emmanuel will fly to the United States to undergo cardiac surgery on February 27th. Doctors will sew a patch over the hole in his heart so that blood can no longer leak through it. Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital is contributing $10,000 to help pay for this surgery. His family now needs $1,500 to help fund costs of the surgery preparations, including labs, medicines, and check-up and follow-up appointments, and travel expenses. Our medical partner Haiti Cardiac Alliance will accompany Emmanuel overseas and ensure he safely undergoes treatment. Emmanuel says, "I am excited for this surgery so that I can focus on taking care of my family without worrying about my health."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Beatrice is a one-month-old baby from Kenya. She is the youngest in a family of nine children. Due to the ongoing rain shortage, the parents have had to go out of their way to do casual jobs to provide for the family. The family has no insurance and cannot raise the required funds for her surgery. Beatrice was born at home, and immediately, her mother noticed she had swelling on her back. Referred by a friend to BethanyKids, her family traveled for two days and brought her in for an examination. Beatrice was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Beatrice is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,151 to cover the cost of Beatrice's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on March 8th. This procedure will hopefully spare Beatrice from the risks associated with her condition, allowing her to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. Beatrice’s mother says, “I was confused when I first saw the condition my child has, and I did not know what to do. I’m really looking forward to her surgery.”

$1,151raised
Fully funded