Watsi

Success! Chan Thou from Cambodia raised $1,025 to fund a hip replacement.

100%

$1,025 raised, $0 to go

$1,025

raised

to go

Fully funded

Chan Thou's treatment was fully funded on March 6, 2018.

Chan Thou's story
Chan Thou's update

Photo of Chan Thou post-operation

January 16, 2018

Chan Thou underwent a hip replacement.

Chan Thou is recovering well from surgery. She is doing light physiotherapy as his mobility continues to improve. She will continue to do physiotherapy at home, and looks forward to finally being able to sleep through the night pain-free.

Her son says, “I am so happy my mom isn’t in pain anymore.”

Chan Thou is recovering well from surgery. She is doing light physiotherapy as his mobility continues to improve. She will continue to do ph...

January 11, 2018

Chan Thou is a grandmother from Cambodia. She has two sons and two grandchildren. She works at a money exchange stall in the market.

She has been experiencing pain on her right hip for more than 12 years. The pain is so severe that she cannot walk on her own or sleep at night.

Fortunately, Chan Thou learned about our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre. At CSC, surgeons can perform a total hip replacement to relieve Chan Thou of her pain and allow her to walk easily. Treatment is scheduled for January 11, and Chan Thou needs help raising $1,025 to pay for this procedure.

She says, “I hope I can take care of my family and walk again.”

Chan Thou is a grandmother from Cambodia. She has two sons and two grandchildren. She works at a money exchange stall in the market. She ...

Submitted by

Learn more

Chan Thou's case was submitted by Lindsay Bownik at Children's Surgical Centre in Cambodia.

Chan Thou's Timeline

January 11, 2018
PROFILE SUBMITTED
Chan Thou was submitted by Lindsay Bownik, Stakeholder Relations Officer at Children's Surgical Centre, our medical partner in Cambodia.
January 11, 2018
TREATMENT OCCURRED
Chan Thou received treatment at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre. 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 12, 2018
PROFILE PUBLISHED
Chan Thou's profile was published to start raising funds.
January 16, 2018
TREATMENT UPDATE
Chan Thou's treatment was successful. Read the update.
March 06, 2018
FULLY FUNDED
Chan Thou's treatment was fully funded.

Share Chan Thou's story

Funded by 32 donors

Funded by 32 donors

Treatment

Hip Replacement

Cost Breakdown
Diagnosis
Procedure

On average, it costs $1,025 for Chan Thou's treatment

Hospital Fees

$160

Medical Staff

$517

Medication

Supplies

$340

Labs

Radiology

Symptoms
Impact on patient's life
Cultural or regional significance

What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?

Patients typically experience severe hip pain and difficulty walking or standing. By the time Children's Surgical Centre provides treatment, patients have often lived with these symptoms for months or more. A total hip replacement (THR) treats hips that are severely damaged and therefore not amenable to other forms of treatment.

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

Patients may not be able to walk or walk normally. Physical activity is extremely restricted, making any movement painful. This prevents patients from carrying out daily life, going to work, attending school, or taking care of themselves and their families.

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

Many Cambodians use motorbikes as their main form of transportation. Because of weak traffic laws, motorbike accidents are common. Injured individuals who cannot afford treatment often self-medicate or rely on Khmer traditional healers. Their fractures never heal, and patients live with the pain. Steroids are a common painkiller in Cambodia. No prescription is required. Individuals who do intense physical labor take steroids regularly, which restricts blood flow to the joints. This causes bone tissue death and tiny bone breaks, making bones more susceptible to breaks and fractures.

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

What does the treatment process look like?

During a hip replacement, doctors replace both the acetabulum (hipbone socket) and femoral head (head of the femur) with prosthetic implants. Doctors remove the dead or broken bone. A cup is inserted into the acetabulum, and a metal hip prosthesis is inserted into the femur.

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

The patient will be able to walk independently without pain, improving quality of life.

What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?

Severe disability, arthritis, and avascular necrosis of the hip can be successfully treated by a THR. This treatment is highly effective, with few risks.

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

Most Cambodians visit Khmer traditional healers before seeking modern medical care. As recently as ten years ago, a THR was unavailable in Cambodia. Children's Surgical Centre is one of the few centers that provides this procedure.

What are the alternatives to this treatment?

Younger patients can elect to undergo hip fusion surgery and postpone the THR until later in life. The duration of the prosthesis is 10-15 years.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Sokleap is a 4th grade student from Cambodia who has three siblings and enjoys playing soccer, playing games with his friends, and listening to music. Three years ago, Sokleap had an ear infection. This infection caused the tympanic membrane, or the ear drum, in his right ear to perforate. Sokleap now experiences itchiness, tinnitus, and pain. He has hearing loss and is unable to hear others clearly or communicate well at school. Sokleap traveled to our medical partner's care center to receive treatment. On December 10th, he will undergo a myringoplasty procedure in his right ear. During this procedure, surgeons will close the perforation. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, is requesting $423 to fund this procedure. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care. "I hope that I will no longer have to worry about my son and that his ear will recover."

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Saren is a 48-year-old rice farmer from Cambodia. She has two sons and two grandchildren, and enjoys listening to the monks pray on the radio in her free time. Three years ago, Saren developed a pterygium in both eyes, causing her irritation, pain, tearing, and blurry vision. 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. She has difficulty seeing things clearly, recognizing faces, working, and going anywhere outside. When Saren learned about our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre, she traveled for four and a half hours seeking treatment. Saren 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 $201. This covers medications, supplies, and inpatient care for two days. The procedure is scheduled for October 08. Saren said, "I hope that I will be able to see clearly again so I can return to the village and continue to plant rice."

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$15raised

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Brian is 16 years old and the second born in a family of four children in Kenya. His mother used to look after the cerebral palsy children at the cerebral palsy society of Kenya but is currently at home while his father is a hawker in Nairobi. Brian was born without any complications but at the age of one he suffered from malaria and while on treatment the doctors confirmed he had cerebral palsy. He can neither walk nor sit upright. His mother often takes him to a therapy session 3 times a week to avoid stiffness of his hand and leg. “Last week Brian started crying uncontrollably. I noticed a swelling on his hip and we immediately took him to Mama Lucy Kibaki hospitals. An x-ray was taken and showed a fracture on his femur, so we were referred to CURE hospital for specialized care,” Brian’s mother told us. Currently Brian is in pain and discomfort as he cannot stretch his foot further. Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo hip repair surgery. This treatment will be good as it will stabilize and heal the broken bone as well as re-align the bone. It will enhance his mobility once he heals and reduce his pain. Brian's father shared, “I am kindly requesting for support; my joy would be to see my son without pain and walking like other children. God bless you."

39% funded

39%funded

$490raised

$741to go