Zane's Story

Zane joined Watsi on March 8th, 2021. One year ago, Zane joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Zane's most recent donation supported Ramal, a beloved newborn from Kenya, to fund hydrocephalus surgery.

Impact

Zane has funded healthcare for 38 patients in 9 countries.

Patients funded by Zane

Ramal is a 5-month-old baby from Kenya and the only child in his family. His parents separated before he was born. Ramal lives with his mother and great-grandparents. Ramal’s great-grandmother works jobs on people’s farms to earn a living, while his mother does laundry and also works casual jobs to provide for the family. Ramal’s family does not have NHIF coverage and needs assistance raising the required amount for Ramal’s hospital bills. Ramal was born two months early at seven months of pregnancy and was admitted to the nursery for two months. While in the nursery, the doctors noticed his head increasing in size, and upon close examination, he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. When he was discharged, the doctors referred the family to another hospital in their home county for treatment. His mother gathered some funds and took him to the hospital, where he was booked for clinics and waited for surgery. This continued for a few months until a doctor referred them to our medical partner’s care center for treatment. Once arrived, an urgent shunt insertion surgery was scheduled. Ramal has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result, Ramal has been experiencing an increasing head circumference. Without treatment, Ramal will experience severe physical and developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Ramal to treat his hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on November 15th and will drain the excess fluid from Ramal’s brain, thus reducing intracranial pressure and greatly improving his quality of life. With proper treatment, Ramal will develop into a strong, healthy young boy as he grows. Ramal’s mother said, “This condition is something that we have never seen before. This made us worried for Ramal’s health.”

$55raised
$665to go

Meet Ku, a 21-year-old from Thailand. He lives with his parents, four younger brothers, and one younger sister. Two of his brothers are in school, while his parents and other siblings practice subsistence farming. Ku works as a day laborer, providing the sole income for his household. In his free time, Ku enjoys gardening, growing vegetables, and looking after his family's two cows. In March, Ku was in a driving accident that caused his motorcycle to fall onto his left leg, fracturing his left thigh. He was brought to a clinic before being referred to the local hospital. After an x-ray confirmed his diagnosis, he was referred to our medical partner's hospital for further treatment. Currently, Ku is experiencing a lot of pain and cannot move or lift his left leg, sit up, or leave the hospital bed. With the help of our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF), Ku will undergo surgery on March 13th to reset his fractured bones and ensure proper healing. This procedure will help him walk again and live pain-free. He will also be able to go back to work and will no longer require a caregiver. BCMF is requesting $1,500 to fund Ku's surgery. Ku shared, "I feel so upset. I never thought I would become like this [bed-bound]. I want to get surgery soon so that I can recover and go back to work. If I'm not working, my family could have a problem. I had to borrow money from my friend [to pay for basic expenses while getting treatment]. I want to go back to work and pay back my debt."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Daw Khin is a widow who lives with her three children in Yangon, Burma. She now stays at home and her elder son is often sick and unable to work. Her younger son is a day laborer, and her youngest daughter is a salesperson. The income they earn is only enough for daily expenses, and there is no extra money for basic healthcare. In March, Daw Khin began experiencing blurry vision and difficulty seeing clearly with her left eye. Despite the absence of pain or discharge from both eyes, she could not seek medical attention due to financial constraints. As her vision deteriorated, she acquired some funds from her children and visited an ophthalmologist at KBC Hospital on June 5th. The doctor diagnosed her with glaucoma in both eyes and emphasized the urgent need for eye surgery in her left eye to prevent blindness. Fortunately, Daw Khin contacted a monk from Kyaung Gyi Parahita Monastery in Yangon, who referred her to the Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF). Now, Daw Khin seeks assistance to raise the required $769 for the procedure, significantly improving her quality of life and restoring her confidence. Currently, she cannot read books, watch TV, or walk alone as she cannot see her surroundings. She and her family are apprehensive about her eye condition and are afraid of her becoming blind and depressed about not having enough money for further treatment. Daw Khin said, "I am thankful for the support from donors and BCMF for my eye operation's cost. If there is no BCMF and donors, I will be blinded, and there is no hope for me to regain my vision. I can't thank you enough for helping me, and I pray the organization will be more successful in the future."

$53raised
$716to go

Dennis is the first born in a family of four children. When he finished high school, he was reluctant to join college because of his condition. He currently is not able to work because he gets easily tired and cannot carry heavy loads. He joined college just recently but has been out of school for the past two months. Now that he is at home, he helps his mother who picks tea for a living. He does not have a health insurance coverage and cannot raise the required amount of money to cater for his hospital bill. In 2019 while he was sitting for his national school exams, Dennis experienced sharp pain in his esophagus. He took a glass of water, and the pain went away for a few weeks. The pain used to occur roughly two times in a month and a glass of water would help a lot. Late last year, the pain worsened. He was not in a position to swallow food. He went to a herbalist and was given some medication to use for some time. When the dose was over, the pain was still persistent, and he still could not swallow food normally. He was then referred to Kijabe Hospital by a friend where he was examined and given some medication to use. He didn't feel better and decided to go back to the herbalist for different medication but there was no change. Later he finally returned to Kijabe Hospital and scans and tests revealed that he has Achalasia. He is scheduled for a heller's myotomy which is a curative laparotomy surgery for his condition. Now he needs $1,074 to pay for the surgery. Dennis says, "I feel very sad. If I was healthy, I would be able to work well and be comfortable with myself.”

$1,074raised
Fully funded