Watsi

Success! Medjie from Haiti raised $1,500 to fund prep for cardiac surgery.

100%

$1,500 raised, $0 to go

$1,500

raised

to go

Fully funded

Medjie's treatment was fully funded on January 21, 2017.

Medjie's story
Medjie's update

Photo of Medjie post-operation

February 8, 2017

Medjie underwent successful cardiac surgery.

During surgery, the hole between the two lower chambers of Medjie’s heart was closed with a patch. Blood now flows normally through her heart and lungs. She should be able to lead a normal life with no further cardiac symptoms.

Her mother says, “Our entire family is so happy and relieved to know that Medjie is no longer in danger from her heart. Thank you!”

During surgery, the hole between the two lower chambers of Medjie's heart was closed with a patch. Blood now flows normally through her hear...

January 16, 2017

Medjie lives in a suburb of Port-au-Prince in Haiti with her mother and grandmother. She is her mother’s first child.

Medjie was born with a cardiac condition called ventricular septal defect. This means that there is a hole between the two lower chambers of her heart. Blood leaks through this hole without passing through her lungs to get oxygen. This leaves her feeling sickly and weak.

Medjie needs to undergo pediatric cardiac surgery at our medical partner’s care centre, St. Damien Hospital. First, Medjie will undergo a full cardiac assessment on January 16. This assessment will include physical exams, labs, and an overnight stay at the hospital. Our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, is requesting $1,500 to fund these procedures. Funding for Medjie also covers the cost of medications and social support for her and her family. Gift of Life International is contributing $3,500 to cover additional costs associated with Medjie’s surgical care.

Medjie’s mother sells homemade food at the local markets, and she cannot afford her daughter’s treatment. She is very thankful to all the people who have helped Medjie get this surgery. “I would like to thank God for putting so many people in my family’s path to help my daughter have surgery,” she says.

Medjie lives in a suburb of Port-au-Prince in Haiti with her mother and grandmother. She is her mother's first child. Medjie was born wi...

Submitted by

Learn more

Medjie's case was submitted by Owen Robinson at Haiti Cardiac Alliance.

Medjie's Timeline

January 15, 2017
TREATMENT OCCURRED
Medjie received treatment at St. Damien Hospital in Haiti. Medical partners often provide care to patients accepted by Watsi before those patients are fully funded, operating under the guarantee that the cost of care will be paid for by donors.
January 16, 2017
PROFILE SUBMITTED
Medjie was submitted by Owen Robinson, Executive Director at Haiti Cardiac Alliance.
January 18, 2017
PROFILE PUBLISHED
Medjie's profile was published to start raising funds.
January 21, 2017
FULLY FUNDED
Medjie's treatment was fully funded.
February 8, 2017
TREATMENT UPDATE
Medjie's treatment was successful. Read the update.

Share Medjie's story

Funded by 6 donors

Treatment

Domestic Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Cost Breakdown
Diagnosis
Procedure

On average, it costs $2,080 for Medjie's treatment

Subsidies fund $580 and Watsi raises the remaining $1,500

Hospital Fees

$1,000

Medical Staff

$450

Medication

$360

Supplies

Labs

$180

Other

$90

Symptoms
Impact on patient's life
Cultural or regional significance

What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?

When a hole exists in the heart, a physician can hear a buzzing noise, or murmur, in the child's chest as blood passes through the hole at high velocity. The child's parents might notice that their son or daughter cannot keep up with other children in daily activities. In severe cases, the lack of oxygen in the bloodstream can lead to dramatic symptoms, such as blue lips and tongue, clubbed fingers and toes, and heart failure. The patients treated by Haiti Cardiac Alliance tend to fall into two categories. They are either born with some type of hole or defect in the heart, or they develop valve disease as a result of an untreated strep throat infection (rheumatic fever). Patients with rheumatic valve disease experience swelling of the abdomen and extremities, as the heart tries to circulate blood through the body despite the valve's dysfunction.

What is the impact on patients’ lives of living with these conditions?

Virtually all of the conditions treated at Haiti Cardiac Alliance will eventually lead to death without surgery, the majority of them within one to two years. In the meantime, patients experience heart failure as their hearts struggle to compensate for the presence of leaks or other defects. In most conditions, the heart becomes fatigued, limiting the child's ability to be active, go to school, and participate in daily life.

What cultural or regional factors affect the treatment of these conditions?

Families in Haiti often have complex cultural mechanisms for understanding cardiac illnesses and their causes, sometimes involving voudou or other religious belief systems. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of Haitian families in our medical partner's program also engage with the medical explanations and treatment of these conditions. Parents are willing and cooperative participants in their child's treatment.

Process
Impact on patient's life
Risks and side-effects
Accessibility
Alternatives

What does the treatment process look like?

The patient is first referred to our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA), by a pediatrician or another medical practitioner who detects symptoms that might be cardiac in nature. HCA staff then perform an echocardiogram to diagnose the cardiac condition. If surgery is required, the staff decides whether the child can be treated in-country or needs to be flown elsewhere to access care. If the child can be treated in-country, he or she is scheduled for an upcoming surgical mission. In the meantime, HCA provides periodic cardiac checkups. Typically, the child spends 4-5 days in or near the hospital prior to surgery for testing and examinations. After surgery, he or she spends several more days as an inpatient prior to being discharged. HCA provides regular cardiac checkups for at least five years postoperatively before the final discharge from their program.

What is the impact of this treatment on the patient’s life?

These treatments are almost always life-saving in nature. These cardiac conditions are not survivable over the long-term without surgery. Within weeks after surgery, the patient should notice a difference in energy level. Many patients also undergo a growth spurt and/or gain significant weight after a surgery.

What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?

The risk of death during or shortly after an open-heart surgical procedure is about 3%. Other risks, though rare, include stroke and post-operative infection. In a small percentage of cases, the material used to patch the hole "blows," and a follow-up surgery is necessary to re-patch the defect.

How accessible is treatment in the area? What is the typical journey like for a patient to receive care?

Patients come to Haiti Cardiac Alliance (HCA) from the entirety of Haiti. This can involve three days of travel in buses, pickup trucks, or even on horseback. There is no cardiac surgery of any kind available in Haiti outside of the HCA treatment network.

What are the alternatives to this treatment?

In general, patients are treated with medications to prevent heart failure until they are ready to travel. Patients may also seek care from traditional healers, who may use liquids and powders derived from local plants and roots.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Yoeun is a 70-year-old farmer from Kompong Cham province. She is a widow with no children, as her husband passed away during the Khmer Rouge regime forty years ago. She lives with her disabled brother and supports their living by growing vegetables and bananas to sell at the local market. When she has time, she enjoys joining ceremonies at the village pagoda. About ten years ago, Yoeun developed a pterygium in her right eye, causing her irritation, pain, redness. Pterygiums are non-cancerous growths of the conjunctiva, a mucous layer that lubricates the eye. The growths occur when the conjunctiva is exposed to excessive sun damage and the cells grow abnormally over the pupil. When Yoeun learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for three and half hours seeking treatment. Yoeun needs a surgical procedure to remove the abnormal conjunctiva from the cornea surface and replace it with a conjunctival graft to prevent recurrence. The total cost of her procedure is $225. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for December 13th. She said: "I hope after surgery my eye will see well again, my eye will feel comfortable. I want to plant crops around my home and go outside."

26% funded

26%funded

$60raised

$165to go

Mark is a 2-year-old boy, His mother works as a teacher, while the father owns a small business of selling thrift shoes around town. However, ever since the lock down period during the COVID-19 pandemic, their business has been slow, thus, reducing their household income. The past year has been the most difficult for them, and they are unable to raise funds to seek medical treatment for their son. Last year, while playing with his friends, Mark accidentally pulled on a flask of hot water resulting in the water spilling and burning most parts of his arms and stomach. Following the accident, his mother applied honey and a raw egg on the wound as first aid and then rushed him to the hospital. Mark was given ointments to help the wound heal, but his mother was led to believe that applying mashed cassava mixed with honey would help Mark’s wound heal faster and better compared to the medicine he was given at the hospital. Two months after the incident, Mark no longer had an open wound, but the skin around the fingers of his right hand was badly damaged. Burn scar contractures have developed, tightening the skin around the burn. Now it is difficult for him to use his right hand. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mark receive treatment. On March 3rd, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery to increase the functionality of his fingers. Now, he needs help to fund this $874 procedure. Mark’s mother says, “Sometimes I wonder if not following the doctor’s advice is the reason my son’s hand is the way it is, and I’m the one responsible for that.”

0% funded

0%funded

$0raised

$874to go

Peninah is a 26-year-old woman from Uganda. She is the sixth born child in a family of eight children. After completing primary school grade seven, she dropped out. Now, she stays with her sister in Southwestern Uganda. Her father is a small-scale farmer, while her mother mostly stays home. In October 2022, Peninah began experiencing troubling symptoms, including mild pain and swelling in her neck. She visited a local health center, where she received an exam and was diagnosed with a non-toxic goiter. She was prescribed medication, but now, she often has a sore throat and sometimes experiences difficulty breathing. Surgery has been recommended to treat her condition. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Peninah receive treatment. On March 9th, she will undergo a undergo a thyroidectomy, where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. Now, she and her family need help raising $333 to fund her procedure and care. Peninah shared, “I want to look normal again. I pray that I may have a successful surgery and be able to live a comfortable life in the future.”