Tugabirwe is small scale farmer and a mother of five. Her eldest child is 18 years old while her youngest is one year old. All of her other children are still in primary school. She works on the farm together with her husband to care for their family. The family currently lives in a three-roomed semi-permanent house.
A year ago, Tugabirwe began to experience troubling symptoms including neck pain, mild swelling, headaches and dizziness. She was diagnosed with non-toxic goiter, or an abnormal swelling of the thyroid. Since the diagnosis, Tugabirwe’s neck pain has persisted and the swelling has continued to increase in size so that she started experiencing airway blockage. She can no longer carry anything on her head, which is a method she depends on for carrying loads of agricultural products. Tugabirwe came to our medical partner’s care center, Rushoroza Hospital, where surgery was recommended to prevent her symptoms from getting worse.
Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMH), is helping Tugabirwe receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on July 6th at our medical partner’s care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. AMH is requesting support for the cost of the procedure, which will be $293.
Tugabirwe says, “I pray that I may be considered for treatment. I hope to feel better to get back to farming as soon as possible. I finally have hope of living a normal life again.”