Mary is a 41-year-old woman living in Nairobi with her husband and five children. Before becoming ill, Mary worked at the Nairobi dumpsite while her husband worked as a day laborer offloading sand from lorries. Four of her children are in primary school and the eldest completed high school last year.
About a year ago, Mary noticed several lumps in her right breast. She went to the hospital and was given some oral medication. She continued to worry about the lumps and visited a second hospital, where a biopsy was performed. The biopsy confirmed Mary’s fear that the lumps were cancerous. Her doctors have recommended that she have a mastectomy to prevent the cancer from spreading.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $816 to fund Mary’s surgery, which is scheduled to take place on September 22. Mary is determined to get well so that she can care for her children. She says, “My children are still young and need me. I don’t want to die and leave them struggling in the slums. At least I managed to teach one of them through high school. I wish I will be able to see the others through high school as well.”