Abhishek's Story

Abhishek joined Watsi on March 12th, 2013. Ten years ago, Abhishek joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Abhishek's most recent donation traveled 8,700 miles to support Zawadi, a friendly girl from Tanzania, to fund burn treatment.

Impact

Abhishek has funded healthcare for 58 patients in 13 countries.

Patients funded by Abhishek

Zawadi is an eleven-year-old girl and the firstborn child in a family of three children in Tanzania. She is a friendly and cheerful girl. Zawadi was born healthy but when she was six years old, she was involved in a fire accident that left her with severe burns on her arms, hands, and fingers. On the fateful day, Zawadi and other children were playing cooking games behind their hut. One of the children went and picked a burning piece of wood from the kitchen and was trying to make a fire for them so that they could cook. Zawadi was the one blowing the fire and while doing this her clothes caught fire. She was wearing a sweater and had wrapped herself in Maasai clothing. She was severely burned resulting in five months of hospitalization during her initial treatment. Her wounds healed but have left her unable to straighten her left arm due to the contractures on her axilla. Zawadi has been scheduled for surgery to help release the contracture on her arm so that she is able to wear clothes and make her life a bit easier when trying to use her hands. Her parents are small-scale farmers who have a few cattle that they depend on for milk. Their income is not enough for them to afford Zawadi’s treatment cost and they are asking for help. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Zawadi receive treatment. On October 13th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery and skin graft so she will be able to utilize her hand with greater ease. Now, her family needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Zawadi’s father told us, “If my daughter is able to have this surgery she will be able to have more range of motion on her arm making her life easier than now. Please help because we can’t afford the treatment cost.”

$874raised
Fully funded

Soe is a 13-year-old from Burma. She lives with her parents and two siblings in a village in Taninthary Division. Her brother goes to school while her little sister is still too young to go. Soe was not able to go back to school this year, after she completed grade seven, due to her illness. Her father works as a tenant on Soe grandparents’ farm and gets to keep half of the harvest. Soe's mother used to be a vegetable vendor but has stopped working to look after Soe. In May 2019, Soe fell sick with a high fever and a severe cough. She was brought to a clinic where she received a physical examination. The doctor informed Soe's mother that she has a heart condition and urged them to go to a hospital in Yangon. Her mother followed the doctor’s advice and took her to Bahosi Hospital in Yangon on June 25th, 2019. There she received an echocardiogram (echo), x-ray, and a blood test. After her results came in, the doctor diagnosed her with mitral valve regurgitation, a problem with one of the valves in her heart, and told Soe's mother that she needs to have surgery that will cost 8,000,000 kyat (approx. 8,000 USD). Unable to afford her treatment, Soe instead received medication for the next four months. Although she took the medication, Soe did not feel better. One day, their neighbor told them to bring Soe to another hospital in Yangon. Soe's mother followed their advice and took her to Vitoria Hospital in Yangon. Soe received another echo, blood test, and an x-ray. A doctor at the hospital then told Soe's mother to come back the next month, without explaining why. When they traveled back in January 2020 for her appointment, the doctor told them to meet a cardiac nurse at another hospital in Yangon. When meeting that nurse, she told them about Watsi's Medical Partner Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) and that they may be able to assist her in accessing further treatment. With the help of BCMF, Soe went to Chiang Mai in March 2020. She was admitted at Lampang Hospital on July 25th, 2020 and received surgery to repair her mitral valve two days later. She was discharged home in August and received a follow-up appointment for a month later. When she returned for her follow-up appointment, she was readmitted to the hospital. She received a number of tests including an echo and an electrocardiogram. Once the doctor reviewed her test results, she was told that the sutures from her surgery were loose and that she would need to receive surgery to replace her mitral valve. Since her first surgery, Soe no longer has a cough. However, she is pale. Her mother is worried because Soe has not gained weight nor has her condition gradually improved like other heart patients after surgery. “After she recovers, I want to send her to school until she becomes a teacher," said Soe's mother. "When she plays with her friends, she pretends she is a teacher and that she is teaching her friends. Even when she felt sick, she would try to go to school and she always studied a lot. Her teacher loves her. But Soe is always worried that she will fail her exams.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Saw Eh is a 25-year-old man from Thailand. He lives with his wife and two children in a refugee camp in northern Thailand. He works as a security guard in the camp while his wife looks after their two young children. His family receives 821 baht (approx. 27 USD) each month from an organisation called The Border Consortium as part of their rations, and he also earns 700 baht (approx. 23 USD) in a month from working as a security guard. Their monthly income is just enough to pay for their basic expenses. In the early morning of June 1st, 2020, at around 9:00 am, Saw Eh left the camp to forage for bamboo shoots in the jungle. While climbing over some slippery boulders, a few larger rocks from above him rolled down towards him. Unfortunately, Saw Eh could not avoid the falling rocks and was hit on the head and right leg. He was knocked unconscious and had no idea how long it took him to regain consciousness. When he did, he was in severe pain and cried out loudly for help. Luckily, a man was nearby and heard him shouting for help. The man fetched a few others to help him carry Saw Eh to the clinic in the refugee camp. At the clinic, the medic directly referred Saw Eh to Mae Sariang Hospital, as they knew they could not treat him in the camp. When he arrived at Mae Sariang Hospital, he received an x-ray, which confirmed that both bones in Saw Eh's right lower leg are fractured. The doctor then referred him to a hospital in Chiang Mai immediately, as he would need to receive surgery at a larger hospital, to ensure his leg heals properly. Currently, Saw Eh's right leg is in pain as well as his head. He cannot walk nor move his right leg. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Saw Eh will undergo surgery to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. The procedure is scheduled for June 1st and will cost $1,500. The surgery will stop Saw Eh from being in pain and will help his leg heal properly. He will then be able to walk again.

$1,500raised
Fully funded