Nishant KarajgikarUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Nishant's Story

Nishant joined Watsi on October 30th, 2017. Six years ago, Nishant joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Nishant's most recent donation supported Sa, a 43-year-old woman from Thailand, to fund a total abdominal hysterectomy,.

Impact

Nishant has funded healthcare for 76 patients in 10 countries.

Patients funded by Nishant

Sa is a 43-year-old woman from Thailand who lives with her nephew in a village in Tak Province. She used to be a farmer but was forced to stop working last year due to her condition. For several months, Sa has been experiencing abdominal pain and massive bleeding. She has been advised to undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy which involves the surgical removal of her uterus and cervix. If left untreated, Sa's symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications. Fortunately, Sa is scheduled to undergo her hysterectomy on March 29th. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Once recovered, she will no longer be in pain and will be able to work on the farm again. Sa said, “I feel happy to receive the treatment through the support from BCMF and its donors. I hope that I will undergo the operation soon so that I can go back to work on the farm.”

$731raised
$769to go

Ramadhan is the 3rd born in a family of 4 from a small village in Kenya. Ramadhan's mother is the family's sole caregiver. Ramadhan was born with bilateral clubfeet, a condition where both of his feet were turned inward. This makes it difficult for him to walk, run around, or play like other children his age. Ramadhan walks with discomfort as a result of his bilateral clubfeet. He always admires his siblings running and playing football, and he wants to be able to play with them. Ramadhan is currently in the hospital undergoing serial casting, to soften the tissues in order to obtain better results after surgery. He is scheduled to undergo a surgery on both feet called bilateral posterior medial release on February 28th. The treatment will have a positive impact on Ramadhan's life because he will be able to walk, run, and play football like his siblings and friends. Our partner, African Mission Healthcare needs $1,224 to fund his surgery. Ramadhan's mother told us, “I am looking forward to see my son walking normally, running, playing football and going to school like other children."

$439raised
$784to go

Originally from Burma, Cherry is a 34-year-old woman who lives with her father's cousin and her two cousins in Tak Province, Thailand. Her two cousins are students, while Cherry is a homemaker. Her father's cousin runs her own small business, selling everything from makeup to food online or through her friends. They work hard to support their family. In the beginning of 2023, Cherry began to experience troubling symptoms, including swollen neck and discomfort when swallowing food. She was diagnosed with thyroid goiter. The thyroid is the gland located in front of your neck and produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for functions such as metabolism, growth and other bodily functions. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is helping Cherry receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 24th at Mae Sot General Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. She and her family need help raising $1,500 for her treatment. Cherry said, "I feel stressed about my condition. Since I heard that my family who lives in Burma have now become displaced, I have felt more stressed and I am worried about them. I want to get treatment and recover soon so that I can look for a job and support my family back home. Thank you to all the donors and the organisation Burma Children Medical Fund for being willing to help me by paying for my treatment cost."

$1,032raised
$468to go

Hla is a 42-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her husband in a village in Bago Division. Hla and her husband are farmers. In early of September 2023, Hla felt a small lump in her right breast. As the lump was not painful and did not cause her any discomfort, she did not seek treatment until the mass started to increase in size. She received an injection from a village health worker, but the mass continued to grow and eventually became slightly painful. Hla experiences slight pain and discomfort in her right breast. Hla sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on December 12th. She is requesting $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Hla said, "Since my condition has worsened, I cannot help my husband much on the farm. I mostly stay at home and do some household chores. To come to Thailand, I had to borrow money from our neighbors and we need to pay them 5% interest which makes me worried. Thank you to the kind donors and the organization for supporting my treatment cost."

$947raised
$553to go

Recheal is a 20-year-old from Kenya. She is studying in secondary school but has been unable to attend school for the last three months due to her condition. Recheal is the sixth born in a family of eleven children. Her parents are small-scale farmers, growing maize and beans for their family’s home use. Recheal does not have medical coverage, and her parents had to sell cattle and maize to raise Ksh 120,000.00 ($783) to cover her initial surgery costs. Recheal needs to undergo urgent surgery, and her family is requesting financial assistance. Recheal has been diagnosed with an abdominal bile leak that is causing her discomfort and pain. Her doctors have recommended surgery to ease the pain and enable her to resume her studies. She first experienced painful stomach swelling in August 2023. She visited a local health center and was treated for worms, which relieved her of pain for a while, but it recurred with time. She then visited our medical partner’s hospital for review. At the beginning of November, she received a CT scan that showed a liver cyst that required surgery. She underwent a laparotomy to remove the cyst on November 23rd. Four days later, the doctors identified a bile leakage that needed to be rectified. She is now scheduled for emergency surgery on November 28th to fix the fatal condition. African Mission Healthcare (AMH) is requesting $1,074 to fund this surgery. Recheal said, “I have missed school for three months now. This procedure will help ease stomach pain and enable me to return to school.”

$564raised
$510to go

Joseph is a 37-year-old, hard working man. He is married and a father of two children aged 7 and 2 years old. Joseph does casual work at construction sites, while his wife takes care of their young children. Unfortunately, on Friday, 24th March, as he was going home from work, Joseph was hit by a hit-and-run motorcyclist. An X-ray confirmed that he was injured on the right side of the body and sustained a closed fracture of his right humerus (upper arm bone). Joseph is in pain, and is unable to use his hand for work. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On April 6th, Joseph will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. He will heal, no longer be in pain and can resume working. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,049 to fund this procedure. Joseph lamented, “I am the only breadwinner of my family; they are all dependent on me. I am begging for help so that soon I can be well to continue supporting my family.”

$1,049raised
Fully funded

Steeve is a 14-month-old toddler from Haiti. He is an only child and loved deeply by his mom and dad. Steeve has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of his condition, Steeve has been experiencing increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Steeve will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $897 to cover the cost of surgery for Steeve at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat his hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on September 19. This critical treatment will drain the excess fluid from Steeve's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life. With proper treatment, Steeve will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Steeve's family is hoping that the surgery will stop the progression of brain damage from hydrocephalus. They are looking forward to watching their toddler grow older and are hopeful for healthier days ahead.

$897raised
Fully funded

Deylove is a five month old girl from Haiti. She lives with her mom and dad and 2 older brothers. Deylove has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Deylove has been experiencing Increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Deylove will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, Project Medishare, is requesting $897 to cover the cost of surgery for Deylove at Hospital Bernard Mevs that will treat her hydrocephalus. This is the only site in the country where this care is currently available and the procedure is scheduled to take place on March 2nd. This critical treatment will drain the excess fluid from Deylove's brain to reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Deylove will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl. Her family is relieved and happy that this surgery will give their little girl a chance of survival.

$897raised
Fully funded

Madelyn is a 38-year-old mother of two from the Philippines. She works as a quality specialist at a local company, while her husband is a stay-at-home father who is in charge of taking care of their children. In December 2022, Madelyn began to experience troubling symptoms, including frequent attacks of abdominal pain at night. Over time, the pain intensified, so she immediately sought medical advice. She was prescribed medication to alleviate the pain, but it persisted. She was then told to undergo an ultrasound test, which revealed the presence of a gallstone. Madelyn has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put her at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Madelyn is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on July 19th. 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 Madelyn's surgery and care. Madelyn shared, "This free surgery is a big help for us as we are currently struggling financially. My mother has just passed away on June 4th, which further exacerbated our financial and emotional turmoil. This operation will greatly help us, and I'm grateful that there's an organization like Watsi and World Surgical Foundation Philippines who are willing to help."

$1,128raised
Fully funded

Thaw is a 5-year-old boy who lives with a large family in Burma. His whole family works as agricultural day labourers. He has not yet started his schooling because he is young and because of his health condition. Thaw enjoys playing with other children in their neighborhood. He also enjoys practicing writing the Burmese alphabet, which his brother has taught him. Thaw was born with a congenital condition affecting his lower digestive tract. He underwent surgery a few days after he was born and again when he was two years old. Now the doctor wants to perform a reverse colostomy, an operation to improve the function of his lower digestive tract. Our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) is requesting $1,500 to cover the cost of Thaw's surgery scheduled for June 12th. Thaw's father said, "Both us [my wife and I], have to watch him constantly because we are worried that he will get an infection... Currently, half of our income goes towards his medical expenses, which makes it difficult for our family to survive."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Evans is a 22-year-old from Kenya who just completed his training as a plant operator with the National Youth Service. He will be looking for jobs as a plant operator but is currently unable to work and depends on his parents for support. His mother is a hairdresser, and his father is a casual laborer. Evans was in a bad accident in April and had to use his mother’s medical insurance, but their coverage is now exhausted. Evans shared that he has a large medical bill that they are struggling to raise money for, and he still needs to undergo two more procedures and is requesting financial support. On April 30th, Evans was involved in a road accident while traveling for a site-seeing visit that caused him to sustain hip and wrist fractures. The bus he and the other youth members from his church were in was involved in a head-on collision with an oncoming truck that was speeding. Evans has undergone multiple surgeries, including ex-fixator placement for a pelvic fracture, laparotomy surgery, and minor bowel repair surgery. His treatment journey is ongoing, with two more fracture repair surgeries scheduled. Currently, it is difficult for him to walk or use his left hand; he is bedridden and in chronic pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On May 16th, Evans will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him walk, sit, and restore grip on his hand. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $1,500 to fund this procedure. Evans says, “I am lucky to be alive. It is a miracle considering the magnitude of the accident. I hope to walk again and be a productive citizen now that I have recently finished my training.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Solomon is a jovial and social 12-year-old boy, living with his family in Oldaraja village in Kajiado County in Kenya. He is clever, innovative, and aspires to be an engineer. Solomon's mother sells Maasai blankets at a small shop in the village, while his father passed away last year. Solomon also has two siblings. Solomon was healthy at birth. However, at five years of age, his mother noticed that his knees knocked against one another when he walked and that he would sometimes fall down as a result of the positioning of his legs. Due to a lack of information and finances, the family could not get access to a hospital. A doctor in Kajiado, who spotted Solomon in the village, referred the family to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation. On April 18th, Solomon is scheduled to undergo an angular deformity correction procedure at AIC Cure International Hospital, which will cost $1,224. This life-changing surgery will enable Solomon to walk easily, play with his friends, and continue with his education. Now Solomon and his family are looking to you to help raise the necessary funds. “I will appreciate your help in correcting my legs so I can walk well without knees knocking each other,” Solomon told us.

$1,224raised
Fully funded