Eduardo's Story

Eduardo joined Watsi on February 11th, 2016. Eight years ago, Eduardo joined our Universal Fund, supporting life-changing treatments for a new Watsi patient every month. Eduardo's most recent donation supported Su, a 21-year-old woman from Burma, to fund life-saving heart surgery.

Impact

Eduardo has funded healthcare for 62 patients in 11 countries.

Patients funded by Eduardo

Janet is an 18-year-old student and the second of three children in her family. Her parents do not have regular employment but do work whenever they can get it at a neighboring flower farm. Janet was doing well in her early years, but in 2020, she began falling, and started experiencing headaches, with symptoms similar to epilepsy. Sometimes her eyes were affected, causing blurred vision. She began falling more frequently, and she was admitted to Kenyatta National Hospital, where a brain tumor was diagnosed. Janet had a successful craniotomy (brain surgery). Following the surgery, she developed a limping gait, had difficulty talking, and experienced non-typical body movements. Over time, she seems to have improved as she continues with therapy. Janet started experiencing new symptoms just a few weeks ago. She began crying at night but could not explain her problem. Eventually, it was determined that her left hand was not straightening out and it was suspected that Janet may have fallen and broken her hand without knowing it. An x-ray showed a closed fracture dislocation of the left elbow. Janet's mother was advised to bring her to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), and their care center. The surgeon has recommended an Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF). This surgery will hopefully mend Janet's elbow. If not treated, Janet will continue to have pain. She may not be able to use her hand, and the fracture may develop malunion, or a permanent deformed healing. Fortunately, surgeons at AMH can help. On September 5th, Janet will undergo surgery. AMH is requesting $1,049 to fund this fracture repair procedure. Unfortunately, the family is not in a position to meet this cost. “My daughter does not even understand what is going on because of her other condition, but I plead for her support so that she can be able to use her hand in the future,” said Janet’s mother.

$298raised
$751to go

Kanha is a 21-year-old woman from Cambodia who lives with her family. She has three brothers and two sisters who also still live at home with their parents. Because of an unknown birth condition, she does not speak, so she has never attended school. She occasionally helps out her family by harvesting fruit from local orchards to earn extra income. On March 4th, Kanha fell from a mango tree while collecting fruit and injured her back. She experiences severe pain in her neck and back and is unable to walk. Her family took her to a local provincial hospital, but they could not pay for her care. Instead, the doctors recommended that the family drive four hours to the capital city of Phnom Penh for treatment. She has been diagnosed with a fractured spin and requires surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), is helping Kanha receive treatment. On March 10th, doctors at CSC will perform a spinal laminectomy with metal implants to stabilize her spinal column. A laminectomy enlarges the spinal canal to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. Now, Kanha and her family need help raising $1,500 to fund her procedure and care. The cost includes hospitalization, surgery, implants, physical therapy, and medications. After recovery, Kanha's pain should improve significantly, and she should have full mobility after four to eight weeks. Kanha's mother shared, "we hope after surgery, my daughter will no longer be in pain and will be able to walk."

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Miheretu is a sweet nine month old boy, who loves to play with his mother and other children. Miheretu's father works as a day laborer, while his mother stays at home to care for their children. Sadly, the family's income is insufficient to supply adequate food for the children, leaving Miheretu nutritionally deprived. Due to the concerns of his doctors, Miheretu underwent a colostomy for what was determined to be Hirschsprung's Disease. This is a condition that is present at birth, in which the baby's colon is missing necessary nerve cells. Without these cells, the muscles of Miheretu's gut cannot move contents through his colon, which can result in the contents backing up and causing a bowel blockage. After the colostomy, Miheretu's parents brought him back home, as they were unable to pay for the additional medical care that he needs. Thanks to the intervention of a local charitable organization, Miheretu was brought to BethanyKids Myungsung Christian Medical Centre, where on January 5th, doctors from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, will perform a Hirschsprung Pull Through. During this procedure, doctors will remove the damaged section of Miheretu's colon, which will alleviate the bowel obstruction, and allow for normal colon function. Miheretu's parents cannot afford the $1,500 cost of the surgery, and are looking to you for help. Miheretu's mother says: “If my child gets the surgery and recovers, I will give thanks to God in front of all church members and tell my testimony. I will take care of him to the best of my capacity. I want him to get an education and to get married one day.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded

Sai is a six-year-old kindergarten student. He lives with his parents and siblings (a 12-year-old brother who is in grade four and a 11-month-old sister) at Mae Sot District, Tak Province in Thailand. His father is a daily worker and works as a blacksmith. Sai’s mother is a homemaker who looks after the children at home. Sai was born with a healthy delivery however just after his sixth birthday, his mother noticed that Sai’s left eye was red. He told her that it was not painful, so they did not worry about it. In June 2022 though, his mother saw that there was a white dot in the pupil of Sai’s eye. When his mother covered Sai’s right eye and asked if he could see, he answered that he did not see clearly. Sai had his eyes checked at Mae Tao Clinic and the medic suspected that he had a cataract. He was sent to Mae Sot Hospital (MSH) for further investigation. He was referred to the ophthalmology department which later the doctor diagnosed him with mature left eye cataract. Currently, Sai’s vision in his left eye is blurry and he has trouble seeing the board when he is in the classroom. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Sai. On December 9th, doctors will perform a lens replacement, during which they will remove Sai's natural lens and replace it with an intraocular lens implant. After recovery, he will be able to see clearly. Now, he needs help to fund this $1,500 procedure. Sai’s mother said, “We cannot afford to take a loan (for the surgery) because we would have to pay the interest. There is less work during the pandemic and so it makes things very hard to have such a large loan. My words cannot express the thanks that I feel. It is so lucky for us to have the assistance from BCMF and donors.”

$1,500raised
Fully funded