Lasse's Story

Lasse joined Watsi on September 19th, 2013. Nine years ago, Lasse joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Lasse's most recent donation traveled 5,200 miles to support Esther, a 48-year-old mother from Malawi, to fund hysterectomy surgery.

Impact

Lasse has funded healthcare for 130 patients in 14 countries.

Patients funded by Lasse

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

Alazar is a sweet boy from Ethiopia. He is the seventh child in his family. Five of the children are girls and two are boys. He loves to sing songs, go to church, try martial arts, and drink juice. His dad is diabetic and his condition causes him to faint often. He has government health insurance and gets treatment in a local government hospital. Because of his condition, Alazar's dad cannot work. His mom makes traditional bread and sells it on the street to feed her children. She makes her bread by firewood and this makes it hard for her to always have the smoke of the wood making the bread. She is the only one who works for income in their family, but her older children help with housework. They bring water from the spring carrying it on their back. She proudly sends all her children to school. Alazar underwent an earlier colostomy, in which the end of the colon is brought through an opening in the abdominal wall. This surgery is often performed to bypass bowel malformations, but colostomies are usually temporary and may call for closure. In Alazar's case, his colostomy requires closure in order to restore bowel function and prevent future complications. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,009 to cover the cost of a colostomy closure for Alazar. The surgery is scheduled to take place on January 9th and, once completed, will hopefully allow him to live more comfortably and confidently. Alazar's mom said: “After he gets the treatment and heals I will praise my Lord. I will tell everyone who knows me about the hand of God. I did ask God ‘to heal my baby. You gave me this child; don’t take it away from me. I always cry and pray.’ I hope God has heard my prayer leading me to you. I will go to my church and testify what God did to all community in the church.”

$431raised
$578to go

Renatus is a seven-year-old boy in grade 1 from Tanzania. He is smart, charming, and enjoys playing with everyone he interacts with. Whenever engaged in conversation, he exudes confidence. Renatus is the younger child in a family of two siblings. His parents are farmers and livestock keepers, making every effort to provide for their family. However, inflation makes it challenging for them to meet all their needs. During his early growth stages, Renatus effortlessly went through crawling, standing, and beginning to walk. However, as time passed and he started walking more, his legs began to show signs of bowing. This concerned his mother, leading her to take him to the hospital for evaluation. The doctor advised starting him on calcium therapy, but unfortunately, the treatment proved ineffective. Consequently, the mother sought another medical opinion from various medical centers, but the condition continued to worsen as Renatus grew older, making it increasingly difficult and painful for him to walk. Renatus and parents traveled 6 hours to seek treatment. He was diagnosed with a wind-swept deformity, which affects both of his legs, leading to reduced stability while walking. He was also diagnosed with clubfoot of both feet, a condition in which the foot is twisted out of shape. These conditions cause difficulty in walking and wearing shoes. He has become less confident during playtime, as he frequently trips and falls. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) determined that the best course of action is corrective surgery to improve Renatus’s quality of life. Surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on August 2nd. AMH is requesting $935 to fund Renatus's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk and play easily. Renatus’s mother said, "I wish my son to have a good life ahead free from any defect. I hope this treatment will make it possible for him to have a good future.”

$935raised
Fully funded

Devie is a 31-year old woman from the Philippines. She has three children that she loves and supports alongside her partner. In 2018, Devie began to experience troubling symptoms, including discomfort in her neck, shortness of breath, easy fatigability, palpitations, and difficulty swallowing. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, she couldn't seek medical consultation. Due to her condition, she cannot work. As time went on, Devie's condition worsened, and in 2019 she noticed a visible lump on her neck. This made it even more challenging for her to carry out her daily tasks. Devie traveled to Our Lady of Peace Hospital, where she underwent a thorough examination. She was diagnosed with Colloid Adenomatous Goiter, a thyroid gland disorder characterized by the development of multiple nodules or lumps within the thyroid tissue. These nodules are made up of abnormal thyroid cells that form small, fluid-filled sacs called colloid cysts. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Fortunately, our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), is helping Devie receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on July 22nd at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation is covering a portion of the cost of Devie's treatment, and WSFP is raising the remaining $935. Devie shared, "I am grateful to Watsi and World Surgical Foundation Philippines because I have been enduring this illness for a long time, waiting for someone to help and for something to happen, and they are my answered prayer. Please never get tired of helping less fortunate people like me."

$935raised
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