Robin D. OlivierUNIVERSAL FUND MEMBER
Robin's Story

Robin joined Watsi on February 27th, 2016. Eight years ago, Robin joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Robin's most recent donation supported Gregon, a bright 5-year-old boy from Kenya, to fund hearing treatment so he can continue with school.

Impact

Robin has funded healthcare for 99 patients in 12 countries.

Patients funded by Robin

Rabira is a 20-month-old toddler from Ethiopia, who loves playing with his toy cars and laughing with his parents. Rabira's mother and father have separated, and his father has taken it upon himself to raise Rabira and his one sibling. Rabira's father, who had to leave school when he was young, is starting to attend night classes, so that he can gain more education, and find work that will provide for his family. Soon after he was born, Rabira's father noticed that Rabira suffered from problems going to the bathroom. He brought Rabira to the nearby health center for evaluation, where it was determined that he had been born with hypospadias. If his condition is left untreated, Rabira would continue to experience urinary dysfunction, and might develop cancer or fertility issues later on. Due to financial constraints, Rabira's parents were unable to access care for him at the local hospital. Fortunately, the family was referred to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, and now Rabira is scheduled to undergo corrective surgery on October 24th, at BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre. African Mission Healthcare Foundation is requesting $1,293 to cover the total cost of Rabira's procedure and care. Rabira's mother said: “After the surgery, I hope he will be normal and pass urine normally as other children. And if he gets better I want him to go to school and graduate school. Become a person who earns well and supports himself. And when I get old I hope he will be able to support me.”

$551raised
$742to go

34-year-old Beatrice lives with her husband and four children in Malawi. Beatrice uses the income from the saloon that she owns to take care of the needs of her children. Her husband, who is a businessman, uses his income to take care of their home, a three-bedroom house that has neither running water nor electricity. In 2020, some of Beatrice's friends noticed a swelling in her neck. Beatrice- who was pregnant at the time- went to the hospital to be evaluated. She was told that the swelling might be related to her pregnancy and that she should come back after giving birth if the swelling hadn't subsided. The swelling continued to grow; ultimately, Beatrice was diagnosed with a goiter- a swelling of the thyroid gland- and told that she would need to have her thyroid surgically removed. Beatrice's surgery continued to be postponed, but her symptoms of breathlessness and coughing- which often kept her from going to work- continued to worsen. Finally, her sister suggested that she visit Partners in Hope Medical Center, where doctors scheduled her for surgery on January 31st. As Beatrice is unable to cover the costs of her treatment, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $1,015 to fund Beatrice's thyroidectomy. Beatrice believes the removal of her thyroid will help her to return to her home in Blantyre, and to rejoin her family in good health. She believes her children are the reason why she lives, and she knows that she has to be healthy in order to continue supporting them. Beatrice said: “I am looking forward to getting back to normal.”

$1,015raised
Fully funded