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Success! Ruos from Cambodia raised $230 to fund hardware removal surgery so he can walk easily.

Ruos
100%
  • $230 raised, $0 to go
$230
raised
$0
to go
Fully funded
Ruos's treatment was fully funded on November 29, 2021.

Photo of Ruos post-operation

December 7, 2021

Ruos underwent hardware removal surgery so he can walk easily.

Ruos and his family traveled several hours to Children’s Surgical Centre for his operation. His surgery was successful and as he recovers, he will be able to walk more easily and return to his daily activities. Ruos is grateful for the support that enabled him to receive treatment and he looks forward to even playing volleyball again.

Ruos said: “After 4 years of pain and infections, I am so relieved to be able to walk on my leg again. I can find work again to support my wife and family and play volleyball again. Thank you to those who help people in Cambodia like me to have better health.”

Ruos and his family traveled several hours to Children's Surgical Centre for his operation. His surgery was successful and as he recovers, h...

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October 28, 2021

Ruos is a 30-year-old security guard who is married with one son and one daughter. His son is 12 years old and in ninth grade, while his daughter is nine years old and in fourth grade. In his free time, Ruos likes to play volleyball.

In August 2017, Ruos fractured his left leg in a motor vehicle accident. After the accident, Ruos visited a provincial hospital where his leg was casted for three months. Afterwards, he went to a traditional Khmer healer where he received a bamboo splint for another two weeks, but his fracture did not heal. In February 2018, he had a fracture repair procedure where a surgeon affixed hardware to help heal the fracture. The fracture is now healed, but the locking nail in his left tibia is infected and needs to be removed.

Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, can help. On October 28th, Ruos will undergo a hardware removal procedure, which will cost $230. This procedure will help him walk easily again and heal his infection.

Rous shared, “I hope my left leg is finally healed and will not become infected again and I can return to work soon after I recover.”

Ruos is a 30-year-old security guard who is married with one son and one daughter. His son is 12 years old and in ninth grade, while his dau...

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Ruos's Timeline

  • October 28, 2021
    PROFILE SUBMITTED

    Ruos was submitted by Sieng Heng at Children's Surgical Centre.

  • October 28, 2021
    TREATMENT OCCURRED

    Ruos received treatment at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre in Cambodia. 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.

  • October 29, 2021
    PROFILE PUBLISHED

    Ruos's profile was published to start raising funds.

  • November 29, 2021
    FULLY FUNDED

    Ruos's treatment was fully funded.

  • December 7, 2021
    TREATMENT UPDATE

    Ruos's treatment was successful. Read the update.

Funded by 2 donors

Funded by 2 donors

Treatment
ORIF / Fracture
  • Cost Breakdown
  • Diagnosis
  • Procedure
On average, it costs $230 for Ruos's treatment
Hospital Fees
$35
Medical Staff
$147
Medication
$0
Supplies
$40
Labs
$3
Radiology
$5
  • Symptoms
  • Impact on patient's life
  • Cultural or regional significance

​What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?

Patients who experience painful fractures or recurrent dislocations need ORIF (open reduction internal fixation) surgeries to heal the injuries. Most often, these fractures and dislocations result from traffic accidents. ORIF procedures require the insertion of metal plates, screws, or rods to stabilize the bones while they heal. Bowleg procedures also require the insertion of hardware, such as staples, in order to realign the legs. Bowleg can be caused both by genetics and by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. However, surgeons may decide to remove the hardware. The most common reason for hardware removal is pain or loss of mobility and range of motion around the ORIF site. Other reasons include infection, nerve damage, incomplete healing of the bone, or an allergy to the implant.

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

Living with hardware fixation causes pain, limits function, and can interfere with daily activities.

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

There is a high rate of traffic accidents in Cambodia because of a lack of helmet usage and weak enforcement of traffic laws. These accidents cause many of the fractures and bone dislocations that our medical partner sees.

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

What does the treatment process look like?

During an ORIF procedure, the deformed or broken bone is correctly aligned into its normal position. Steel rods, screws, or plates are used to keep the bone fracture stable and allow it to heal. Sometimes, bone grafting is needed to promote healing. During hardware removal, surgeons use the previous incisions to find and remove the hardware. In some cases, additional incisions are made to safely perform the operation.

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

Patients will experience restored function and mobility. They will also have reduced pain. Patients can be independent again and return to work, school, and family life.

What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?

This surgery is low-risk and extremely effective.

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

Rural Cambodians often self-medicate or seek treatment from traditional healers because they cannot afford treatment at local clinics or hospitals. Many patients are referred to CSC by word of mouth.

What are the alternatives to this treatment?

There is no alternative to this treatment.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Chit Htun

Chit Htun is a 21-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his mother and two younger sisters and a younger brother. His father is deceased and his mother is a homemaker. She takes care of the household and her children. All of his younger siblings are students, while Chit Htun and his eldest sister are doing an online general education diploma. Chit Htun has two aunts who help the family financially as they can. He also has a former teacher who is able to contribute some money consistently to the family. This normally has been enough to cover the family’s basic necessities but since the February 2021 coup, prices have increased significantly and there is not always enough money to pay for food. Sometimes the family has free meals at the local monastery. Chit Htun was born with spina bifida as well as hydrocephalus at the Maternal and Child Hospital in Myawaddy in Burma and when he was just over a month old, he had a stent inserted in his brain to control hydrocephalus. He has multiple conditions arising from the spina bifida, including bilateral atrophy to his lower legs with club feet, a neurogenic bladder requiring a suprapubic catheter, a neurogenic bowel requiring a colostomy, along with scoliosis. Despite the number of surgeries he has undergone, and the pain he endures, he is a pleasant and engaging young man, thoughtful and independent. In Oct 2021, Chit Htun fell down from some stairs at his home. Though there was no loss of consciousness at the time, he hit his head with the fall. Since that time, he has been experiencing headaches and dizziness with occasional loss of consciousness. His mother brought him to the hospital in Yangon and a scan showed that the original shunt was in place. A second shunt was inserted, and it appeared to help with the loss of consciousness, but headaches and dizziness continued to be a problem. After the second shunt was cleared of partial blockage, Chit Htun still continued to have headaches and dizziness and then in October, he had a seizure, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. His family cannot afford to go for further investigation and treatment so that they came to Mae Tao Clinic across the border in Mae Sot, Thailand. Doctors want Chit Htun to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Chit Htun's CT scan and care, scheduled for November 28th. Chit Htun said, “My condition is interrupting my education and my future. When I always have to stop my studies for treatment, it makes it difficult to continue.”

13% funded

13%funded
$56raised
$358to go

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Chit Htun

Chit Htun is a 21-year-old man from Burma. He lives with his mother and two younger sisters and a younger brother. His father is deceased and his mother is a homemaker. She takes care of the household and her children. All of his younger siblings are students, while Chit Htun and his eldest sister are doing an online general education diploma. Chit Htun has two aunts who help the family financially as they can. He also has a former teacher who is able to contribute some money consistently to the family. This normally has been enough to cover the family’s basic necessities but since the February 2021 coup, prices have increased significantly and there is not always enough money to pay for food. Sometimes the family has free meals at the local monastery. Chit Htun was born with spina bifida as well as hydrocephalus at the Maternal and Child Hospital in Myawaddy in Burma and when he was just over a month old, he had a stent inserted in his brain to control hydrocephalus. He has multiple conditions arising from the spina bifida, including bilateral atrophy to his lower legs with club feet, a neurogenic bladder requiring a suprapubic catheter, a neurogenic bowel requiring a colostomy, along with scoliosis. Despite the number of surgeries he has undergone, and the pain he endures, he is a pleasant and engaging young man, thoughtful and independent. In Oct 2021, Chit Htun fell down from some stairs at his home. Though there was no loss of consciousness at the time, he hit his head with the fall. Since that time, he has been experiencing headaches and dizziness with occasional loss of consciousness. His mother brought him to the hospital in Yangon and a scan showed that the original shunt was in place. A second shunt was inserted, and it appeared to help with the loss of consciousness, but headaches and dizziness continued to be a problem. After the second shunt was cleared of partial blockage, Chit Htun still continued to have headaches and dizziness and then in October, he had a seizure, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. His family cannot afford to go for further investigation and treatment so that they came to Mae Tao Clinic across the border in Mae Sot, Thailand. Doctors want Chit Htun to undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose his condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Chit Htun's CT scan and care, scheduled for November 28th. Chit Htun said, “My condition is interrupting my education and my future. When I always have to stop my studies for treatment, it makes it difficult to continue.”

13% funded

13%funded
$56raised
$358to go