G
Gilberto RiveraUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER

United States
Gilberto's Story

Gilberto joined Watsi on July 31st, 2013. Six years ago, Gilberto joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Gilberto's most recent donation traveled 8,300 miles to support Myo, a 19-year-old young man from Burma, to fund heart surgery.

Impact

Gilberto has funded healthcare for 81 patients in 14 countries.

Patients funded by Gilberto

Myo is a 19-year-old young man from Burma. His father is a truck conductor, while his mother cares for the children and manages the household. Because of ongoing strife, Myo's family fled from their hometown in Kachin State to Mandalay in December of 2024. His family's displacement and an underlying heart condition interrupted Myo's education, ultimately leading him to leave school in the 11th grade. In addition, his younger sister's schooling was disrupted when Myo could no longer drive her to school. Myo has a heart condition that requires replacement of two heart valves (aortic and mitral) and repair of the tricuspid valve. These valves control blood flow between the heart chambers and are necessary to prevent long-term damage to the heart and lungs. Currently, Myo experiences shortness of breath when walking, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Additionally, he has lost weight and has difficulty carrying out normal daily activities due to his condition. His mother spends most of her time caring for him, leaving her with less time to attend to other family responsibilities. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for this complex surgery. The surgery is scheduled for November 4th. Following the treatment, Myo will hopefully regain his health and resume his daily activities. Myo’s mother expressed her heartfelt gratitude, saying, “Thank you so much to the organization and the donors for helping with my son’s treatment costs. I have no words to express how thankful I am. We cannot imagine how we would manage this treatment without your help. Thank you so much for giving our family hope. Thank you so much.”

$347raised
$1,153to go

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

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