Torehan SharmanUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Torehan's Story

Torehan joined Watsi on June 3rd, 2015. Nine years ago, Torehan joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Torehan's most recent donation traveled 8,500 miles to support Benson, young man from Kenya, to fund fracture repair surgery.

Impact

Torehan has funded healthcare for 22 patients in 10 countries.

Patients funded by Torehan

Angelou is a four-year-old boy living in the Philippines. He is a shy boy who always wants to be with his mother. He lives in a house made of bamboo and nipa. His father is a farmer, and his mother is a daily laborer. Angelou has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens his growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, he will begin $184 malnutrition treatment on February 23. Angelou 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. Angelou's mother says, "I want him to finish his studies someday. I hope he'll be healthier."

$184raised
Fully funded

Milvia was born only a week ago--but was premature. Milvia is also a twin--a surprise her parents got when they were born! Unfortunately her and her sister Yolanda are both underweight, and her mother is having trouble producing breastmilk--leaving both babies with dangerous weight loss and failure to grow. Without sufficient breastmilk during this delicate time, Milvia's brain development could be permanently affected, she could be at risk of seizures because of hormonal imbalances due to her mother giving her sugar water, and if she gets sick now, it could be life-threatening. Milvia and her sister are constantly crying because they are hungry--making her whole family distressed and feeling powerless to help their daughters. Milvia lives with her 6 brothers and sisters and her parents in a humble home made of adobe with a tin roof. Millie's mother weaves typical Mayan textiles to make money at home while taking care of her children. Her father works as a day laborer, harvesting crops for long hours. Between the two of them, they bring in only a couple dollars per day for the whole family--nowhere near enough to purchase the life-saving formula she and her sister need. Despite being dangerous, this condition is incredibly easy to treat. Milvia will be enrolled on November 16 to receive formula and her parents will receive nutritional education, giving Milvia the treatment she needs now to grow big and strong, and giving her family the tools to recognize and prevent future cases of malnutrition. Her mother said, "I hope that my daughters grow big and healthy without health problems. I want to see my daughters grow to be healthy, intelligent, and in the long term be able to study."

$1,107raised
Fully funded