nick's Story

nick joined Watsi on March 30th, 2013. Eight years ago, nick joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. nick's most recent donation supported Ruhama, a beautiful newborn baby from Ethiopia, to fund surgery for a severe birth condition.

Impact

nick has funded healthcare for 55 patients in 12 countries.

Patients funded by nick

Melissa is a 16-year-old girl who resides in Sanawari, Arusha region and currently lives with her grandparents. Her parents are based in another region due to work commitments, and they diligently strive to send money to cover Melissa’s living expenses as well as assist with other financial needs. At school, Melissa especially likes her art classes. Melissa suffers from a condition called bilateral varus, causing stress on her knees and lower limbs. She was diagnosed with bilateral genu varus, a condition that developed six years ago. The condition causes stress on her knees and lower limbs. Her legs are not severely bent, but she endures considerable pain when standing for prolonged periods and walking extended distances, leading to easy fatigue. As a result, Melissa experiences pain when walking long distances. Previous attempts at medical intervention involved a visit to the hospital, where she was prescribed medication, vitamin D, and calcium. Unfortunately, they had to discontinue the treatment after one month due to financial constraints. Melissa's family discovered our medical partner's care center, Kafika house occurred during a hospital visit for treatment, where a doctor directed them to the center. They travelled to the facility and were assessed. Surgical treatment is deemed necessary to improve her condition so she can have a full life ahead. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $880 to fund corrective surgery and treatment for Melissa at their care center Kafika House. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 16th. Treatment will hopefully restore Melissa's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Melissa's grandmother says: “I hope after this treatment, my granddaughter will be free from pain when she walks.”

$360raised
$520to go

Saw Htoo is an 11-year-old boy from Burma who lives with his parents, 4 brothers and a sister in a refugee camp, in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. His parents fled to the camp from Karen State, Burma, due to the civil war in 2010. Saw Htoo is in grade 4 and his favorite subject is English. His father used to work as a day laborer before travel restrictions were imposed on camp residents after the outbreak of covid-19. Since then, both of Saw Htoo’s parents are homemakers. Although they receive a small monthly cash card to purchase food in the camp, as well as free basic health care and education, they struggle to make ends meet. For the past 5 years, Saw Htoo has been brought frequently to the hospital in the camp due to having urine in his blood. He has also experienced pain while going to the bathroom, developed a fever and pain in his bladder area. He received an ultrasound, an x-ray of his kidney, ureter and bladder (KUB) and an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and was diagnosed with a renal stone in his right renal pelvis. At a follow-up appointment in August 2023, he received another IVP which indicated that the stone was increasing in size and doctors recommended Saw Htoo have surgery to remove the stone. Saw Htoo has been experiencing pain in his back, and he often needs to take leave from school because of the pain. Fortunately, our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) can help. Saw Htoo is scheduled for surgery on September 8th, and BCMF is asking for help to raise $1,500 to fund the procedure. Saw Htoo said, “I want to become a football player [in the future] because I love to play football.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Levina is a charming 4-year-old girl and the youngest child of three in her family. Sadly, Levina had a twin brother who suffered from a high fever when they were about nine months old and tragically passed away. Levina, too, faced challenges during her early years, as her overall health showed many challenges. However, she managed to survive and gradually saw improvements in her general well-being as she grew older. Levina has been diagnosed with right valgus, meaning that her right leg bows inward. This condition is typically caused by an excessive accumulation of fluoride in the bones, which often stems from contaminated drinking water. As a result, she experiences difficulty in walking. In April 2022, Levina visited our partner's care center and began receiving treatment to correct her leg deformity, as her legs were severely bowed. However, given the severity of her condition, her initial surgery proved insufficient to fully heal her condition. Consequently, she has returned for another surgery in order to progress further with her treatment plan. Levina’s parents are once again seeking assistance to cover the costs of the treatment she began when she was three years old. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare (AMH) is requesting $880 to fund her treatment, which will hopefully restore Levina's mobility, allow her to participate in a variety of activities, and greatly decrease her risk of future complications. Levina’s mother says, "Thank you so much; the first treatment has helped my daughter so much. We have hope that when she completes her treatment, she is going to be able to walk freely."

$880raised
Fully funded

Eliud is a 41-year-old truck driver. He is quiet and talks with a lot of calmness. He is married with two children aged 2 and 6 years and the sole breadwinner for his family, as his wife is a homemaker who does not have any source of income. To earn a living, Eliud works as a truck driver earning a commission on jobs. He shared that depending on the availability of work, his income is often inconsistent and negligible. Following a road accident, he has been unable to work and his family has been incapable of raising funds for his treatment. He is requesting financial assistance as he has no medical insurance coverage. On 12th March, Eliud was involved in a road accident. While driving his truck, he swayed off the road as he tried to avoid a pedestrian and hit a post, suffering a broken ankle and a bruised leg. He was rushed to a local health facility for first aid and later referred to our medical partner at Kijabe Hospital for surgery and an orthopedic review. An x-ray revealed a right open tibial plafond fracture. This is the joint between the tibia and ankle bone. He went to the operating theater and had an external fixator, called ex-fix, put in place to stabilize his bones. He was discharged two days later and advised to come after two weeks for a clinic check-up. When he returned to the clinic, doctors determined that an urgent tibial plafond ORIF (Ankle ORIF) is required. It is difficult for Eliud to walk or work. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On April 5th, Eliud will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This procedure will help him walk easily again and he will be able to resume work to earn for his family. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $979 to fund this procedure. Eliud says, “I broke my leg during this accident and cannot walk. As a driver, I cannot work because of the fracture. I need this surgery to make the leg well and be able to drive.”

$979raised
Fully funded

Vicky is a friendly 38-year-old mother to four boys aged between 2 and 12 years old. She lives in a three-room semi-permanent house with her family. Her husband is a small-scale maize farmer who works tirelessly to support his family. Vicky has a big anterior neck swelling that moves when swallowing. The swelling has been there for ten years now and has been gradually increasing in size, with pain that aggravates her when she lifts heavy things. Vicky states that she first developed goiter when she was a form two student. It was removed in 2007 in a Ugandan hospital, but reappeared three years later. Vicky began to experience troubling symptoms, including being unable to eat, drink, or sleep comfortably. She had an especially difficult time when she was expecting her children. Neighbors always help her with home chores as her children are still young and her health condition limits her physical capacity. Sometimes she has elevated blood pressure that causes angina. At our medical partner's hospital, she was diagnosed with Multinodular Thyroid Cyst. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Vicky receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on February 21st at our medical partner's care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $936, and she and her family need help raising the funds. Vicky says, ”I am so stressed with what I am going through. I would love to work together with my husband in order to provide for our family, but my health status cannot allow me. Please help me because I am optimistic that I will get well someday and be able to help.”

$936raised
Fully funded