Watsi

Thiri is a 9-year-old girl from Burma who needs $1,500 to fund eye surgery.

50%

$763 raised, $736 to go

$763

raised

$736

to go

Thiri's story

January 31, 2023

Nine-year-old Thiri is a first-grader, living with her mother and two brothers in Burma. Her mother sells vegetables in a local shop, while Thiri and her brothers attend school.

While playing with her friends in front of her house in early January 2023, Thiri tripped, and fell into a pile of rice sacks, injuring her left eye in the process. Immediately, she realized that she could not see out of her left eye. Over time, her eye injury became more painful, red, and sensitive to light. Eventually, when her eye did not heal, her mother brought her to Mae Sot Hospital, where she was diagnosed with traumatic glaucoma.

Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $1,500 to fund lens replacement surgery for Thiri. On February 1st, doctors at Mae Sot General Hospital will remove the natural lenses from both of her eyes, and replace them with intraocular lens implants. Once she has recovered. Thiri will regain her ability to see clearly. Now she needs your help to fund this critical procedure.

Thiri’s mother said: “I want her to receive surgery and recover soon so that she [Thiri] can go back to school and I can go back to work. I want her to be rich in the future, not like me, and own her own shop, because she likes to cook.”

Nine-year-old Thiri is a first-grader, living with her mother and two brothers in Burma. Her mother sells vegetables in a local shop, while ...

Submitted by

Learn more

Thiri's case was submitted by Bridgitte Agocs at Burma Children Medical Fund.

Thiri's Timeline

January 31, 2023
PROFILE SUBMITTED
Thiri was submitted by Bridgitte Agocs at Burma Children Medical Fund.
February 1, 2023
TREATMENT SCHEDULED
Thiri was scheduled to receive treatment at Mae Sot General Hospital in Thailand. 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.
February 7, 2023
PROFILE PUBLISHED
Thiri's profile was published to start raising funds.
TODAY
AWAITING FUNDING
Thiri is currently raising funds for her treatment.
TBD
AWAITING UPDATE
Awaiting Thiri's treatment update from Burma Children Medical Fund.

Share Thiri's story

Funded by 31 donors

Funded by 31 donors

Treatment

Lens Replacement

Cost Breakdown
Diagnosis
Procedure

On average, it costs $3,505 for Thiri's treatment

Subsidies fund $2,005 and Watsi raises the remaining $1,500

Hospital Fees

$1,597

Medical Staff

$501

Medication

$186

Supplies

$1,020

Labs

$30

Other

$171

Symptoms
Impact on patient's life
Cultural or regional significance

What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?

Patients may experience blurred or dim vision, shadows or blind spots in the field of vision, sensitivity to light and glare, and double vision.

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

Reduced vision can result in social isolation, depression, increased risk of falling and accidents, and ultimately a greater tendency to be disabled. Without surgery, the patient will have no choice but to live with end-stage ocular disease, often resulting in blindness or pain.

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

The healthcare system in Burma does not permit the average citizen to receive proper eye examinations. This lack of attention to ocular health is due to a variety of reasons. However, a low optometrist-to-population ratio and insufficient funds are the leading causes.

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

What does the treatment process look like?

Surgery will only be performed if the pressure in the eye is stable. The time it takes to stabilize the pressure in the eye depends on the severity of damage to the eye.

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

The patient will regain his or her vision, though it may not be perfectly clear. Fortunately, the surgery prevents a complete loss of vision.

What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?

Potential side effects include bleeding, infection, scarring, persistent swelling, wound separation, and the need to undergo additional surgery.

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

Burma has 309 ophthalmologists and 150 eye nurses. Fewer than half of the ophthalmologists perform surgery, and almost two-thirds confine their practice to the cities of Yangon (with a population of about six million) and Mandalay (about three million), where many people have the financial capacity to meet high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. Aside from these main facilities, there is roughly one ophthalmologist for every 500,000 people, and eye health screening and treatment for children and adults is neither comprehensive nor consistent.

What are the alternatives to this treatment?

There are no alternatives. If left untreated, the patient will eventually lose his or her vision completely.

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Hser is a 30-year-old midwife from Burma. She lives with her husband and eight other colleagues in the staff housing of the clinic she works at. Hser is a midwife, and her husband is a medic. In her free time, she enjoys going fishing with her husband and friends, weaving Karen clothes, and visiting the villagers nearby. Around June 2020, Hser felt she had a mass. Thinking it was not serious, she did not go to a hospital for treatment until April 2022. At the hospital, a doctor gave her medication for three months, but the mass did not decrease in size. Currently, Hser's experiences uncomfortable symptoms from the mass. Hser sought treatment through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund. She is now scheduled to undergo mass removal surgery on March 8th. Hser needs help raising $1,500 to cover the total cost of her procedure and care. Hser said, "I am married, but I don’t plan to have children yet because my husband and I are both busy working as health workers for our community. So, I am very worried that I won't be able to have children anymore because of my condition. However, I have a loving and kind husband who understands me in every way, and he told me not to worry and feel sad. We cannot help but stay strong, helping and encouraging each other."

27% funded

27%funded

$414raised

$1,086to go

Lydia is a 49-year-old woman from Uganda and a proud mom of five. She and her husband practice subsistence farming to provide for their family. Recently, Lydia has been experiencing severe lower abdominal pain, backaches, and other worrisome symptoms. She visited the hospital, where the surgeons determined she need to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help Lydia receive the treatment she needs to heal! On February 9th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at AMH's care center. Once recovered, Lydia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. AMH is requesting $219 to fund Lydia's surgery. Lydia says: "My hope is entirely in you, and I implore you to save my life so that I can resume farming to provide for my family."

13% funded

13%funded

$30raised

$189to go

Jocelyn is a loving mother of four from Philippines. She works as a bookkeeper, and her husband works as a part-time sidecar driver while also looking after their children. Despite their hard work, their combined income is just enough for the family's daily needs. Three years ago, Jocelyn began to experience troubling symptoms, including episodes of epigastric pain. Worried about their finances, she chose to defer her checkup. Unfortunately, the symptoms worsened as she began to experience difficulty of breathing, and persistent vomiting. She was brought to the nearest hospital to be given emergency care. The doctor told her to have an abdominal ultrasound. The test showed that she was suffering from gallstones, which can no longer be treated with medicines. Jocelyn has been advised to undergo a cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder. If left untreated, her symptoms will continue to worsen and put him at risk for further health complications in the future. After seeking treatment through our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines (WSFP), Jocelyn is scheduled to undergo a cholecystectomy on February 17th. A portion of the cost of the procedure is being supported by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and WSFP is raising the remaining $1,128 to cover the cost of Jocelyn's surgery and care. Jocelyn shared, "I'd like to thank WATSI and World Surgical Foundation Philippines for sponsoring my surgery. May you continue helping people who are financially incapable of paying for their surgeries. You are an answered prayer!"

35% funded

35%funded

$398raised

$730to go