Maiquel Sampaio de Melo
Maiquel's Story

Maiquel joined Watsi on September 28th, 2015. 25 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Maiquel's most recent donation traveled 8,500 miles to support Victor, a newborn baby boy from Kenya, to fund a colostomy.

Impact

Maiquel has funded healthcare for 19 patients in 9 countries.

Patients funded by Maiquel

Than is a 42-year-old woman from Thailand. She lives with her husband, three daughters, three sons, son-in-law and granddaughter. Than and her family moved from Burma to Thailand ten years ago in search of better job opportunities. Her husband, her oldest daughter, one son, and her son-in-law work as day labourers on their employer’s farm, growing and harvesting tapioca, corn, and cabbage. Her two other sons go to school, while her youngest daughter and her granddaughter are too young to go to school. Than and her second oldest daughter are homemakers. On November 7th, 2020, Than discovered that she had an incisional hernia. Currently, Than experiences abdominal pain throughout the week and has to take pain medication to decrease her pain. She feels uncomfortable when she sits, and when she is in pain, she has to walk or lie down for the pain to ease. Fortunately, on January 28th, she will undergo hernia repair surgery at Mae Sot General Hospital, our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund Than's hernia repair surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 28th and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and go about her daily activities normally. Than shared, “I was so happy when I learned that I was to go to Mae Tao Clinic [and later Mae Sot Hospital] for treatment. My children are also happy that I will receive treatment with help from donors.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Lewis is a 3-year-old boy from Kenya. He the second born of five children in his family. Just two weeks after Lewis was born, Lewis' mother was bathing him at home when she noted that his testes were not descending. She thought this may happen time, but as days and months went on, this did not change. Two years later, Lewis’ parents took him to a nearby hospital for review. Lewis was diagnosed with cryptorchidism, a condition in which one or both of the testicles remains undescended. If left untreated, Lewis has an increased risk of developing hernias, testicular cancer, and fertility problems in the future. His family was referred to BethanyKids Hospital for further treatment, but his family waited a little over six months to save enough funds to afford the visit. Upon visiting BethanyKids, the doctors recommend he needs an orchidopexy procedure. Lewis’ parents do not have stable jobs. His father is a construction handyman and his mother owns a small eatery in the neighbourhood. The income from both parents is not enough to feed the family of five children. Both parents are determined to see Lewis treated, but they are not in a position to raise the required amount of money. Lewis and his parents are appealing for financial help. Lewis will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo a corrective surgery called a bilateral orchidopexy on December 28th. AMHF is requesting $569 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care. Lewis' father shared, "I would really like Lewis to have a family of his own in future, but to do so he must undergo a surgery that is way beyond our capability. As a family, we are requesting for financial help to cater for the surgery.”

$569raised
Fully funded

Johnson is a 2-month-old baby boy from Tanzania. He is the last born in a family of three children and was born with a left clubfoot. His condition is causing worry for his parents. They tried to seek doctor's advice from a local hospital and were referred to Watsi's Medical Partner Care Center ALMC/Plaster House. Johnson has been diagnosed with a left positional clubfoot which needs manipulation and casting to correct his foot so that he does not grow up disabled. If this condition is not treated Johnson will have difficulty learning to stand and walk when the time comes. He will also not be able to wear normal shoes and walking will always be difficult for him. Johnson’s father works as bodaboda taxi driver to be able to care for and support his family. They also practice small-scale farming where they grow crops for their own family. Their income is not enough to pay for their basic needs and still afford their son’s treatment cost so they are asking for help. Fortunately, Johnson's family traveled to visit our medical partner's care center where surgeons will perform clubfoot repair surgery on October 9th. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $890 to fund Johnson's clubfoot repair. After treatment, he will be able to walk easily when he grows up and develop like any other child. Johnson’s mother shared, “We wouldn’t want our son to grow up disabled. Please help us we since we are unable to afford the treatment cost as our income is not enough.”

$935raised
Fully funded

Joseph is a 10-month-old baby boy and the last born in his family to his mother who has eight other children. His father is polygamous with two wives, and the second wife has five children making them a large family of fourteen children. Four children in his family have been able to join school, but the rest have not had a chance to join yet. Joseph's older siblings who do not go to school help their parents look after their herd of five cows and five goats. Both parents depend on small-scale farming of maize, beans and vegetables for their food and are able to sell a goat once in a while to be able to get money to buy other commodities. Joseph was born at home earlier this year with the help of midwives since their nearest local hospital is a long distance from home. At birth , the midwives noticed Joseph had a swell with an open wound along his spine and advised his parents to take Joseph to hospital and seek medical care. They were able to get a small amount of money and took Joseph to a local hospital where he had his wound dressed and were referred to Watsi's Medical Partner ALMC Hospital. At the hospital, Joseph's parents were informed that their son would need to undergo surgery to help correct his Spina Bifida. Without treatment Josep was in danger of getting his spine infected, which could lead to him losing limb movement making him permanently disabled or even lead to death in case of a serious infection. Through Watsi donors' incredible support, Joseph was able to have this life-saving surgery. Unfortunately, he has since acquired hydrocephalus which is putting him in danger of brain damage due to the fluids accumulating in his head, increasing head size and pressure. His parents cannot afford the treatment cost thus they are asking for help. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,300 to cover the cost of surgery for Joseph that will treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on October 12th and will drain the excess fluid from Joseph's brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve his quality of life now and in the future. With proper treatment, Joseph will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young boy. Joseph’s mother says, “After my son had his first surgery he was so well, but now his head is increasing in size and he is vomiting a lot accompanied with fevers. Please help save my baby.”

$1,300raised
Fully funded