Jonah is a 55-year-old farmer from Tanzania. She is a mother to ten children, five of whom are still in school and the other five of whom are currently working. Jonah runs a small green grocery shop along the road where she sells vegetables to support her family. Her husband also works to support their family by practicing small-scale farming. However, her husband shares that farm production has gone down due to unpredictable seasons, which sometimes leave them with nothing to feed their family.
For three years, Jonah has been experiencing lower abdominal pain, abnormal discharge, and painful bleeding. She initially attempted to treat her symptoms with painkillers and antibiotics, but this became too expensive, so she began using local herbs instead. After seeing no change, she sought medical care and was diagnosed with multiple uterine myomas and a premalignant cervical lesion, meaning she has cells in her cervix that have the potential to develop into cervical cancer. She now must undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $219 to fund Jonah’s surgery. On August 11th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner’s care center. Once recovered, Jonah will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain.
Jonah says, “I surely know that I will get better and I will be relieved from pain after my operation.”