Andrew Ho
Andrew's Story

Andrew joined Watsi on February 18th, 2016. 91 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Andrew's most recent donation supported Moh Zin, a young woman from Burma, to fund brain surgery.

Impact

Andrew has funded healthcare for 3 patients in 2 countries.

Patients funded by Andrew

Moh Zin is a 19-year-old woman. She has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which means excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in her brain. Moh Zin lives with her parents and two older brothers in a village in Burma. Her parents own a plantation, on which they grow beans. Her father and brothers work on the plantation, while Moh Zin and her mother do housework. As a child, Moh Zin did not exhibit any symptoms. However, not long after she began attending school, her parents noticed that she was walking strangely. She continue to study for several years. Unfortunately, Moh Zin stopped attending school after grade seven, as she could no longer complete the thirty minute bicycle ride to school. Though she experienced limited mobility, Moh Zin could still walk around the house and the neighborhood. She helped her mother at home and carried water from the river. In her free time, she watched Korean dramas on television. Five months ago, however, her symptoms deteriorated. Her vision became blurry, and she developed a fever. Moh Zin visited an ophthalmologist, who performed a CT scan and learned that she had an abnormal brain condition. Certain that they could not afford treatment, Moh Zin’s family returned home. Fortunately, a monk told Moh Zin’s uncle about our medical partner. At this point, Moh Zin was experiencing blurry vision, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and back pain. On November 26, she underwent a shunt insertion surgery to drain the fluid from her brain. Now, her family needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. After recovery, Moh Zin plans to “work hard and earn money to help support my family.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Eight-year-old Luis lives with his mother and his older sister Maribel in Guatemala. His is being raised by a single mother, who works hard cleaning neighbor's homes to earn money for her two children to go to school and eat. Luis is in second grade, and loves studying and playing with his friends and older sister. Luis is thought to have a rare genetic condition called Parry-Romberg Syndrome. This has made the tissues on one side of his face shrink, making his teeth move, and puts him at risk of future seizures due to neurological abnormalities. His mother first noticed a strange red mark on her son's face when he was two, and thought it was a bad mosquito bite. Then, it grew, and a large part of his face has now atrophied, causing him headaches because of his crooked teeth. Most worrisome, though, is his future risk of seizures. His mother says that he has had one seizure before and that she is scared that he will have more. That is why his mother brought him to our clinic to have him evaluated, and why it is so important that he receives an MRI to visualize his abnormalities and give him an appropriate medication. His mother works hard, but she barely makes enough to support herself and her two kids, and cannot afford the high-quality medical care her son needs. $967 will fund the treatment that Luis needs. This treatment will give Luis the medications and expensive imaging he needs. His mother will no longer be scared about his future due to his condition, and he will be able to attend school without fear of having a seizure, giving him the chance to live an independent and full life. In his interview with the Wuqu' Kawoq medical staff, Luis said: "I want to be a fireman when I grow up but my mom wants me to be a successful professional."

$967raised
Fully funded

Eduardo, a baby boy from Guatemala, is only a month old, but is already having developmental trouble and has lost significant weight since he was born. At birth, his mother was unable to produce enough milk for him grow at a normal rate. More recently she has been able to breastfeed for 30-45 minutes at time, but Eduardo, unsatisfied, still cries afterward. His mother is doing everything she can to force production of breast milk, but Eduardo still hasn’t been receiving as much as he should. His mother cannot afford formula, so in some instances when she cannot provide milk, she gives her son water to stop him from crying. Eduardo is the youngest child of a single mother: he has a 4-year-old sister and a 2-year-old brother. They all live together with one of their mother’s friends. Eduardo’s mother has limited access to education; she stopped after her first year in secondary school because her family could not afford it. Now to earn money, she washes clothes for her neighbors. Eduardo is at risk of dehydration and starvation. “His mother is ashamed and afraid that she cannot produce sufficient breast milk to feed her child,” shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). With $1,016, medical intervention will be possible for Eduardo. His mother will be given formula to provide her son with the calories he needs to grow. She will also receive one-on-one health education to prepare her the time when Eduardo will begin eating solid foods. The doctors are certain that the simple treatment will strengthen Eduardo’s immune system and allow him to become a healthy, energetic baby. “I just want him to grow,” Eduardo’s mother shares.

$1,016raised
Fully funded