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Success! Ko from Thailand raised $1,500 to fund surgery to remove metal rods from his infected leg.

Ko
100%
  • $1,500 raised, $0 to go
$1,500
raised
$0
to go
Fully funded
Ko's treatment was fully funded on October 20, 2022.

Photo of Ko post-operation

November 14, 2022

Ko underwent surgery to remove metal rods from his infected leg.

Before surgery Ko’s left leg was in a lot of pain. He could only bend his leg slightly and needed to use crutches to get around. When he walked with crutches his left leg would hurt, and he could not put any weight on his leg. His left leg was thinner than his right leg. He also had a small ulcer at the top of his upper left leg. Since he underwent two surgeries, Ko can now walk, and he is able to lift his left leg. He can now put weight on his leg and the infection on his upper left leg has healed. However, he still has to use crutches while his leg is in a cast.

Ko said, “Support for my surgeries is very significant for me. Because of the pandemic and the revolution [in Burma], it is very hard to earn money and receive good health care. I feel very lucky. Your support is so significant for us. The donors have saved me from death, allowed me to recover and have given me the opportunity to walk again. But we cannot give anything in return to the donors except our prayers.”

Before surgery Ko’s left leg was in a lot of pain. He could only bend his leg slightly and needed to use crutches to get around. When he wal...

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May 10, 2022

Ko Kyaw lives with his wife and two daughters in the border region of Tak Province in Thailand. He is a homemaker while his wife works as a day laborer. He plans to send his older daughter to a Thai school in the new school year, but his younger daughter is still too young to go to school.

In early 2021, Kyaw was still living in his village in Myawaddy Township in Burma but it has been a very challenging time for his community ever since the military coup. He and his wife were injured in an emergency involving the local soldiers who came to their area. Luckily other villagers came to their rescue and Kyaw was treated for fractures on both his upper and lower leg, where a metal rod was inserted to help him heal.

Now the bone in his thigh is misshapen and doctors have diagnosed osteomyelitis (infected bone). His doctor told him that in order to heal, he would need to have the metal rods replaced in both his upper and lower leg.

Currently, Kyaw’s left leg is in a lot of pain. He can only bend his leg slightly and needs to use crutches to get around. With his leg in pain, Ko Kyaw spends most of his time helping out with household chores he can do and teaching his oldest daughter how to read and write in Burmese. He feels frustrated that since his leg was broken, he cannot support his family.

Our medical partner Burma Children Medical Fund is helping to pay the cost of his treatment and is raising $1500 to cover his surgery, which will take place on May 10th.

“I feel upset that I cannot support my family as the head of the house,” he said. “We only have my wife’s income. We do not have our own house to live in. I want to say a lot of things but I cannot express what I want to say. I never thought that I would lose my house, my possessions and that my leg would be in pain.”

Ko Kyaw lives with his wife and two daughters in the border region of Tak Province in Thailand. He is a homemaker while his wife works as a ...

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Ko's Timeline

  • May 10, 2022
    PROFILE SUBMITTED

    Ko was submitted by Bue Wah Say, Project Officer at Burma Children Medical Fund.

  • May 10, 2022
    TREATMENT OCCURRED

    Ko received 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.

  • May 11, 2022
    PROFILE PUBLISHED

    Ko's profile was published to start raising funds.

  • October 20, 2022
    FULLY FUNDED

    Ko's treatment was fully funded.

  • November 14, 2022
    TREATMENT UPDATE

    Ko's treatment was successful. Read the update.

Treatment
Femur Rod Removal
  • Cost Breakdown
On average, it costs $2,627 for Ko's treatment
Subsidies fund $1,127 and Watsi raises the remaining $1,500
Hospital Fees
$1,306
Medical Staff
$827
Medication
$80
Supplies
$95
Labs
$30
Radiology
$27
Other
$262

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.

Benedister

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.”

37% funded

37%funded
$433raised
$712to go

Meet another patient you can support

100% of your donation funds life-changing surgery.