Jill's Story

Jill joined Watsi on January 30th, 2017. Seven years ago, Jill joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Jill's most recent donation supported Aye, teacher from Burma, to fund heart surgery.

Impact

Jill has funded healthcare for 76 patients in 10 countries.

Patients funded by Jill

Aye is a 44-year-old teacher from Burma. She resides along with her husband, aunt, and niece. She works as a school teacher while her husband runs a betel nut shop. Her aunt is a homemaker and her niece goes to school. During her free time, Aye enjoys watching TV and reading. Aye has a heart condition that requires replacement of two heart valves (aortic and mitral) and repair of the tricuspid valve. These valves control the blood flow between the chambers of the heart and are necessary to prevent long term damage to the heart and lungs. For the past 14 years, Aye has suffered from her heart condition. Since the beginning of 2023, her symptoms worsened. Aye has been experiencing occasional chest pain and difficulty breathing which worsens with physical activities. She also has a decreased appetite, weight loss, and difficulty sleeping at night. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 for this complex surgery. The treatment is scheduled to take place at Pun Hlaing Hospital on November 23rd and, once completed, will hopefully allow her to live more comfortably and have a more active and healthy life ahead. Aye said: "I have been ill and taking medication for more than 10 years already. I feel sad and depressed living with this health problem. I want to get treated and live healthy like other people, but I cannot afford to pay for surgery. Since I learning that BCMF and donors will help me pay for my surgery, I am so excited to undergo surgery and become healthy again. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to receive a surgery since I cannot effort to pay for it myself. I am really grateful for your help and I am thankful to all the donors who will help pay for my treatment. May you all be in good health and may you have the ability to help more people in the future."

$779raised
$721to go

Emelyn is a 34-year-old mother of two from the Philippines. She works as a health worker, while her husband works as a traffic enforcer. In May 2022, during her pregnancy, she noticed a palpable mass in her left breast. After a few months, she experienced frequent bouts of pain in the area. She was advised to consult a surgeon. Following an assessment, it was recommended that she undergo an operation to remove the mass and have a biopsy. Due to potential threats to her pregnancy, the operation was deferred. In December 2022, one month postpartum, she was advised to undergo an ultrasound to assess the progress of her condition and have a biopsy. Unfortunately, Emelyn has now been diagnosed with breast cancer. Without treatment, the cancer may spread to other organs. A mastectomy, a surgery to remove breast tissue, has been suggested to rid her body of breast cancer and to prevent the cancer from metastasizing (spreading to other sites in the body). Fortunately, our medical partner World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP) is helping Emelyn receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a mastectomy on August 12th. A portion of the cost of her treatment is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is requesting help to raise $1,058 to cover the remaining cost. After treatment, Emelyn will hopefully return to a cancer-free life. Emelyn shared, "Thank you, Watsi and World Surgical Foundation Philippines! Thank you for having a good heart and being willing to help people. You are a testimony that God truly provides."

$430raised
$628to go

Benedister is a 45-year-old single mother and small-scale farmer from Kenya. She plants maize and millet for her family's consumption and for sale. Benedister has seven children between 11 and 23 years old. When she is done with her farm work, Benedister always looks for casual jobs in order to earn extra wages. She is very hardworking, as she is her family’s sole breadwinner. One day, while walking around her compound, Benedister fell and injured her right lower limb. She was unable to walk, so she was carried by some of her relatives to the hospital. Her pain was so intense that she was given some pain medication, then sent for an x-ray. The x-ray revealed that she had a bimalleolar fracture with a joint dislocation, which means that in addition to a bone being broken, the ligaments on the inside of her ankle were injured as well. She was treated, and then her ankle was immobilized with a bulky jones splint. She is not able to walk on her own and is in a lot of pain. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On February 7th, Benedister will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. Afterward, she will be able to walk easily again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,145 to fund this procedure. Benedister says, “It’s really sad that I cannot walk without support. My children look up to me for all their needs and here I am now with a broken leg and cannot offer any help to them. Please help me get my bones fixed so that I will be able to work and live normally as before.”

$1,145raised
Fully funded