Jeff's Story

Jeff joined Watsi on November 27th, 2020. Three years ago, Jeff joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Jeff's most recent donation traveled 4,200 miles to support Valentina, a 3-year-old toddler from Bolivia, to fund heart surgery.

Impact

Jeff has funded healthcare for 44 patients in 12 countries.

Patients funded by Jeff

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

Leonard is a 41-year-old lumberjack from Kenya. He is a bachelor, has no children, and lives alone in his grandfather’s place. His work as a lumberjack is seasonal and he sometimes works on peoples' farms to earn money for basic needs. His relatives live in faraway places and are of limited socio-economic status. Leonard has no medical coverage and cannot raise the money required for his needed medical treatment. Leonard was injured while felling trees. One of the trees fell on Leonard, hitting him on his right hip. He fell, and the people with him ran away, thinking he had died. Leonard was unable to walk and slept at the scene. Luckily one of his neighbors passed by and found him. Leonard's neighbors carried him to the hospital for treatment as he could not stand or walk. An x-ray revealed that he had a complete fracture of the upper end of his right femur. He is now admitted to the surgical ward on bed rest because his fracture is at a weight-bearing joint. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On October 2nd, Leonard will undergo a fracture repair procedure called an open reduction and internal fixation. A surgeon will make an incision, realign the bones, and insert hardware to hold the bones together. Subsequently, after recovery, Leonard will be able to walk again. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,247 to fund this procedure. Leonard says, “It is so sad that I cannot now walk but I thank God that I am alive because that tree was big. Please help me so that I may be able to work and be able to sustain myself because I have nobody to depend on.”

$1,247raised
Fully funded

Sothany is a 23-year-old woman who lives with her mother and father in the Prey Veng province of Cambodia, where her parents are rice farmers. She has four brothers and four sisters. When Sothany was younger, her parents noticed that her spine was not straight; however, they could not afford proper healthcare for her. As she has grown up, she has had more noticeable changes, including uneven hips and shoulders, prominent ribs, and a shift of her waist and torso to the side. For the past few years, Sothany's disability has increasingly affected her breathing as her rib cage presses against the lungs, making it more difficult to breathe. Sothany is very self-conscious about her spinal deformity and limited mobility. As a result, she quit her job in a clothes factory and stays home with her mother. She makes homemade videos to sell lotions and creams on social media. Her parents first heard about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), in early 2020. However, they were unable to travel due to COVID pandemic travel restrictions. Today, Sothany's symptoms have greatly increased including muscle imbalance, pain, and difficulty breathing. Sothany and her parents traveled for two and a half hours to our medical partner to seek intervention for her disability. Sothany will undergo a posterior spinal fusion with implants at CSC's care center on August 1st. Sothany is contributing $100 to pay for her care, and CSC is requesting the remaining $1500 to fund the procedure. This will cover radiology, medications, surgery, and post-op physiotherapy care. Sothany said, "After surgery, I hope my spine will be straight. I want to walk with my friends and not have hard breathing, work to support myself, and not be ashamed of my back."

$1,500raised
Fully funded