Josh Leong
Josh's Story

Josh joined Watsi on March 25th, 2016. 270 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Josh's most recent donation supported Sam Ang, a 28-year-old construction worker from Cambodia, to fund hardware removal surgery.

Impact

Josh has funded healthcare for 15 patients in 9 countries.

Patients funded by Josh

Renz is a four-year-old boy who lives with his grandparents. They do not have access to electricity and obtain water from the water district. His grandfather works as a laborer and has difficulty providing for the basic needs of the family. Renz has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens his growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, he will begin $268 malnutrition treatment on February 22. Renz will be treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases. ICM’s home-based feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM’s professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening. "I will do everything just to send him to school so he can finish his studies and will have good future," says his grandmother.

$268raised
Fully funded

Born just six months ago in Tanzania, Joshua is the first child in his family. During the first two months of his life, Joshua had no problems. He was a happy baby, feeding well and growing normally until he developed a severe fever. The fever was treated, but after he recovered, his mother noticed the size of her son’s head was increasing. His body now looks small, and he cannot control his neck at all. Joshua was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is an accumulation of fluid in the brain as a result of infection, trauma, malformation of the central nervous system, or genetic defect. He needs surgery to help reduce the intracranial pressure and prevent him from losing his eyesight and the ability to control his body. Joshua’s mother used to work at a small restaurant in their town, but she can no longer continue with work due to Joshua's condition. Now, she cares for her son at home while Joshua’s father, a self-employed carpenter, works hard to support the family. The little money that he earns is not enough to cover the cost of renting a room or other basic needs as well as the cost of the surgery that Joshua badly needs. For $775, Joshua will undergo surgery to place a shunt to drain the excess fluid from his brain and transport it to his abdomen, where it can be resorbed by the body. Funding also covers the costs of five days of hospital care, dressing changes for his surgical wound, imaging, blood tests, medicine, and two weeks of accommodations at the Plaster House for recovery and rehabilitation. Joshua’s mother looks forward to a successful surgery for her son and hopes that he will continue to grow like other children.

$775raised
Fully funded