B
Brooke L PetersonUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER

Brooke's Story

Brooke joined Watsi on January 3rd, 2021. Six years ago, Brooke joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Brooke's most recent donation supported Htee, an expectant mother from Burma, to fund a C-section to safely deliver her baby.

Impact

Brooke has funded healthcare for 71 patients in 11 countries.

Patients funded by Brooke

Hser is a 43-year-old woman from Burma. She lives with her two daughters and her husband in a refugee camp in Umphang District, Tak Province, Thailand. Her family is originally from Karen State, Burma, but fled to the camp due to the fighting in their homeland. In the camp, her older daughter is a teacher while her younger daughter is a student. Her husband sometimes works as agriculture day laborer outside of the camp, while she is a homemaker. In October 2025, Hser started to notice a mass on her left breast. The mass was very small, so she thought it might go away by itself. But a few weeks later, the mass was still there, prompting her to go to the clinic in the camp. She was referred to a bigger hospital, where doctors informed her she may have cancer and would need surgery to prevent the cancer from spreading. However, she did not have the financial resources to undergo surgery. In August 2026, the mass started to grow bigger and cause her pain. She visited our medical partner's care center, Mae Sot General Hospital, where doctors informed her she needs to undergo a mastectomy, surgery to remove her breast. Fortunately, our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, can help. On September 1st, Hser will undergo surgery, and she needs help raising $1,500 to help cover the cost of her procedure and care. Hser said, "When I learned that I have cancer, I started to worry - and even though I receive surgery, will I recover from it? When it started to be painful, I thought I would need surgery so that it wouldn't be painful anymore. When I heard from my daughter that there is an organization that could support me with surgery costs, I feel a bit better. If not for the support from donors, I would give up on surgery and choose to suffer, as I know my family could not afford it."

$1,018raised
$482to go

Heak is 60 years old and a hardworking rice farmer from Cambodia. She lives with her niece, who is a Grade 12 student. She is the seventh of ten siblings, all of whom are married. Her parents passed away during the Khmer Rouge era. Despite many hardships in life, she continues to support herself through rice farming. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and helping with household chores. In 2024, Heak was involved in an overturned car accident while traveling in Thailand, resulting in a severe fracture of her left femur near the knee. Although she underwent surgery to stabilize the fracture, the bone failed to heal properly and developed into a nonunion, causing ongoing pain in her left knee and leg. Heak experiences persistent pain and stiffness in her left knee, making it difficult to walk without support. The condition limits her independence, affects her ability to work in the rice fields, and makes everyday activities challenging. Fortunately, Heak learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), and sought treatment. At CSC, surgeons can perform a total knee replacement to relieve Heak of her pain and allow her to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for June 1st. Heak can contribute $100, but needs help raising $1,213 more for her procedure and care. Heak said, “I hope this treatment will help me walk without support again and live without pain. Being able to move independently would mean so much to me and allow me to return to my normal life.”

$688raised
$525to go

Kaung is a six-year-old boy from Burma. He lives with his mother, older sister, and younger brother in Phop Prah District, Tak Province, Thailand. In January 2025, they left their home in Bago Division, Burma, to escape the violence around their village due to the civil war and in search of better job opportunities. Since the family moved to Thailand, Kaung’s mother has been unable to register Kaung for school. However, in May 2026, he will resume his education in grade 1. Kaung’s older sister is a homemaker, and his younger brother is too young to go to school. Kaung’s mother is an agricultural day labourer, but work is not always available. Kaung and his family live in a raised bamboo house and need to climb up a ladder at the entrance to enter their home. On the 20th of March 2026, Kaung was at the top of the ladder, taking in laundry that was drying outside, when he fell backwards onto the stones on the ground below. He fell on his right side and reached his arm out during the fall. He began to cry, and his mother found him on the ground in severe pain, with massive swelling around his elbow. She called their neighbours who could speak Thai, and together they brought Kaung to a local clinic. He was referred to a bigger hospital, where an X-ray revealed he had fractured his elbow and needed surgery. Kaung is in constant pain, affecting his sleep and ability to perform daily tasks, such as eating and dressing himself. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Kaung will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for April 3rd and will cost $1,500. This procedure will help Kaung to grab things and eat properly again. He will no longer be in pain after surgery. Kaung's mother said, “When the hospital talked about money, my son started to cry, because he knew that I could not afford his treatment. He is a good boy for the family and understands our situation. He told me that he did not want to receive treatment so we wouldn’t have to borrow money.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Hillary is a 26-year-old devoted father of two young children from Kenya. He works hard as a small-scale farmer together with his wife, growing potatoes on a modest piece of land gifted to him by his parents. Farming is their only source of income, and they strive to provide food, education, and a hopeful future for their family. A week ago, Hillary’s life changed suddenly and tragically. While walking home one evening, he was struck by a motorcycle and sustained a severe open fracture of the tibia, with a deep wound and exposed bone. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed an urgent surgical washout and applied an external fixator to stabilize his leg. Due to the severity of the injury, the plastic surgery team was consulted. Hillary’s condition was extremely serious. Without prompt and skilled surgical care, he faced a high risk of losing his leg to amputation. Determined to save his limb, the surgical team carried out a complex and lengthy operation. After a long day in the operating room, the surgery was successful. Hillary recovered well and was transferred to the ward, where his wound is currently healing nicely. However, during ward rounds, Hillary began complaining of severe pain in his left arm. An X-ray revealed a displaced fracture of the left ulna, which now requires surgical fixation. Without this operation, Hillary risks losing proper function of his hand, further limiting his ability to work and care for his family. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On December 17th, Hillary will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This treatment will not only help save his limb and restore function to his hand but also bring hope to a young family that depends entirely on him. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $861 to fund this procedure. Hillary says, "I have been in the hospital and had a challenge with an identification card. I was wondering how I would pay for bills, but God is indeed faithful. I also had a displaced left arm and require another surgery, please help me so that I can be of help to my family when I fully recover."

$861raised
Fully funded