Partners in Hope Medical Center

Collings, who is four years old, is the only child of his single mother. Collings lives with his grandmother in Malawi while his mother works as a farmer. Collings' grandmother is also a farmer. When Collings was about a year old, his mother noticed swelling in his left inguinal region. Collings was brought to the nearest clinic in Malawi. From there, they were referred to Nkhotakota district hospital for additional care. A diagnosis of a hernia was made and surgery was recommended. Now Collings is four and since his diagnosis, he has remained untreated. The episodes of swelling have worsened, causing Collings a lot of pain. His grandmother has had to suspend her work as a farmer as she tries to get Collings the care he needs. On May 2nd, Collings will undergo hernia repair surgery at Partners in Hope Medical Center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $575 to fund Collings' treatment. His grandmother hopes that the operation will help Collings get better. Collings' grandmother happily said: “I can’t wait to see Collings well again; thank you, Sponsors, for coming in with support.”

66-year-old Anna is a widow from Malawi where she lives with her two daughters, one of whom runs a saloon while the other sells second-hand clothing. Anna is in the business of renting houses. Last year, Anna noticed an asymptomatic swelling on the left side of her neck. She visited the nearest clinic where she was referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital for tests on her thyroid. Anna was diagnosed with a goiter and was informed she would need surgery. Surgeons at Partners in Hope Hospital are scheduled to perform a thyroidectomy on May 3rd, during which all or part of Anna's thyroid will be removed. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $1,015 to cover the costs of Anna's procedure and care. Anna is hoping to get better after surgery so that she can continue supporting her family as a caring mother. Anna believes that her two daughters are the greatest priority in her life and that she has to be in good health for their sake as their only remaining parent. Full of smiles, Anna said: “Thank you, sponsors. I did not know this day would come in my life; I can smile again.”

Maso, who is 57 years old, is a married man with ten children. Seven of his children are married, while Maso and his wife live with their three youngest in Malawi. Maso is a farmer, growing rice, maize, groundnuts, and cassava, which he sells to provide for his family. Last October, Maso began to notice intermittent swelling on the right side of his inguinal region. At first, he wasn't terribly concerned, as the swelling wasn't painful. Over time, however, the episodes of swelling increased, and Maso began to experience some discomfort, which interfered with his ability to work. Maso visited Nkhotakota Hospital in Malawi where he was diagnosed with a right inguinal hernia. Maso was informed he would need surgery to correct his condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $575 to fund Maso's hernia repair surgery, which is scheduled for May 3rd, at Partners in Hope Medical Center. Maso is hopeful that the surgery will help him to get back to normal, free of his current symptoms. Maso said: “I am looking forward to surgery to get better.”

Gift is a 46-year-old married man with five children. His wife works in a hair salon while Gift is a farmer. Gift and his family live in Malawi in a rented house without water and electricity. Gift likes to go fishing in his free time. Last September, Gift noted a swelling in his right inguinal region that subsided when he was lying down. Gift was concerned and went to a doctor. Because it was difficult for him to talk about his condition with the doctor, he simply mentioned that he was experiencing abdominal pains and was provided with pain killers. Gift took the medicine he had been given, but returned to the doctor when his condition didn't improve. After being assessed, Gift was given a diagnosis of a right inguinal hernia and he was informed that he would need surgery. The frequency of episodes of swelling has increased and his ability to work and earn an income has been negatively affected. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $575 to cover the cost of Gift's treatment. On May 3rd, Gift will undergo hernia repair surgery at Partners in Hope Hospital. After he has recovered, Gift should be able to return to work and go fishing again. Gift believes the operation will improve his condition and enable him to continue caring for his family. Gift said: “It’s like I am dreaming. I can’t wait to get better and be a responsible father."

Deniss, who is six months old, is the firstborn child in his family. He and his parents- who are farmers- live in a house without water or electricity in Malawi. Deniss was healthy at birth. However, when he was about one month old, his parents noted that he had a swollen scrotum. They visited Bua, the nearest hospital, and were referred to Nkhotakota district hospital in Malawi for further assistance. At Nkhotakota, Deniss was assessed and diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia. Deniss' parents were told that he was too young for surgery and they brought him home. Because of ongoing swelling at the hernia site, however, Deniss and his parents have had to make multiple visits to the hospital, taking time away from Deniss' parents' time to work and negatively impacting their income. On May 2nd, Deniss will undergo hernia repair surgery at Partners in Hope Medical Center. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, and Deniss' parents are looking to you to help raise $575 to fund Deniss' treatment and care. Deniss' parents are looking forward to being able to return to work and seeing smiles on Deniss' face. Deniss' mother joyfully said: “I can’t wait to see my son well again; thank you sponsors for considering my child Deniss.”

Rose is a 62-year-old widow with two fully grown children. She lost her husband four years ago. Rose owns a small business where she sells sand and also performs garden maintenance for a small fee. Rose gets support from both children, who are married with children themselves now. She lives with her second-born child in a three-bedroom house without water and electricity. Rose likes doing house chores and enjoys eating nsima, a culinary tradition of Malawi, made from maize flour with vegetables. In 2014, Rose started experiencing pain when she swallowed. She visited the hospital near her home, where she was treated. The treatment worked for awhile until December of last year when her daughter noticed that Rose's neck was swollen on the right side. In March, Rose noticed that the swelling was getting larger and also causing consistent pain. Rose decided it was time to visit Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi where a scan revealed her mass had grown substantially and was stemming from the right thyroid lobe. Her doctor diagnosed her with a goiter and determined that surgery would be needed. Due to her financial challenges, Rose could not afford the surgery. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), can help. Rose met with a surgeon who confirmed her diagnosis and the need for surgical intervention called a thyroidectomy, which removes part or all of the thyroid gland. Rose believes the surgery will help her to get better and prevent her symptoms from impacting her day to day life, and allow her to focus on how good her life is. She was able to contribute $10 toward her care and is grateful to all to help her raise the $1,015 needed. Rose said, “Thank you donors for supporting me, I want to live my normal life.”

Christina is a 56-year-old mother of five children. She and her husband- both farmers- live in Malawi. In addition to farming, Christina also does some piecework to earn additional money. In 2015, Christina started to experience pains in her neck, where she also noted a small swelling. She didn't bother going to the hospital, as her discomfort was very mild. In 2020, however, she began to experience chest pains, neck heaviness, and a hoarse voice. She also found it difficult to carry heavy items on her head. She visited the hospital and was diagnosed with a goiter. She continued on, living with her various symptoms until March 2023, when she developed breathlessness. On April 17th, 2023, Christina met with the surgeon at Partners In Hope Medical Center, who told her that her condition requires surgical intervention. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is seeking $1,015 to cover the cost of the thyroidectomy that Christina needs. During this procedure- which is scheduled for May 19th at Partners in Hope Medical Center- surgeons will remove part or all of Christina's thyroid gland. Christina is hoping to get better after surgery, so she can continue supporting her family as a caring mother. Christina said: "Thank you sponsors, I have hope that I will be well after surgery."

Meet Samuel: a 34 year old who lives with his wife and 10 year old child in Malawi. He works as a painter, while his wife is a homemaker. In 2021, Samuel started experiencing intermittent swelling in his left inguinal region. He didn't seek medical intervention at the time, since the swelling wasn't painful. Last December, however, when the episodes of swelling began to increase, and he also began to experience greater discomfort which interfered with his ability to work, Samuel decided to seek help. On May 12th, Samuel met with doctors at Partners in Hope Medical Center, who diagnosed him with a left inguinal hernia. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is seeking $575 to fund the hernia repair surgery which Samuel needs, and which is scheduled for May 20th. Samuel believes the operation will help him get better, and enable him to return to work, so that he can provide support for his family. Samuel said: "I am looking forward to getting better."

Magret is a single mother with five children: four boys and one girl. Magret works as a nanny. She provides all the required support for upkeep and school for her family. Magret lives in a single room with water and electricity; she likes thinking about her children and enjoys eating local food. In 2018, Magret started experiencing frequent choking, especially at night. She visited Queen's Hospital in Malawi, where she was given some medication. In 2019, Magret went back to the hospital after developing swelling on her neck which was diagnosed as a goiter. She experiences many symptoms, including neck heaviness and swelling, shortness of breath, tremors, chest pains, weight gain, headaches, muscle aches, heart palpitations, and inability to carry heavy items on her head, which has really affected her daily activities of carrying a baby on her back. Magret visited our medical partner's care center Partners in Hope Medical Center where the doctor confirmed the diagnosis of goiter and expressed the need for a surgical intervention called a thyroidectomy. She is able to contribute $68 to the cost of the surgery and needs $1,015 to fully fund the procedure scheduled for June 24th. Magret believes the surgical operation will help her get better so she can continue supporting her five children as a single mother. She shared, "I can’t manage to pay for my surgery; please help me. I don’t want to die and leave my children to suffer."

Kelita is a single mother with four children, aged 18,14,12, and 8. Kelita shared that she separated from her husband in 2017 because she would not adhere to cultural chieftaincy rules that wives are supposed to follow. Kelita refused to stop going to church; hence her family broke apart, and her husband married another woman. He does not provide support for his children so Kelita works hard to support her family on her own. Kelita sells cooked green maize in the nearest markets, earning about $37.00 per month. She and her four children live in a three-room house without water or electricity. Kelita does extra work in people’s gardens for her family's support and shared that she enjoys eating nsima (ugali) with vegetables prepared with groundnut flour. Kelita was well until 2011, when, after the delivery of her third child, she noted a fast-growing swelling on her neck. She did not seek medical care as there was no pain. As time passed, the swelling grew, but was not painful. In 2021, Kelita started experiencing neck heaviness and breathlessness, frequent coughs, and pains when carrying heavy items on her head. This affected her daily activities and business since she could no longer carry a basket of maize on her head. Kelita stopped her cooking business and relied on doing piece work in people’s gardens to support her family. However, even this is difficult now, as bending has become a challenge. In November 2021, Kelita visited her nearest hospital and was referred to Kamuzu Central Hospital, where an ultrasound scan revealed a bilateral complex mass in her thyroid. Kelita was sent for thyroid function tests but since she did not have the money required for the tests, she returned home to try traditional medicine, to no avail. In July, Kelita met a Partners in Hope (PIH) beneficiary who guided her to visit PIH for potential support from Watsi. On August 14th, Kelita met the surgeon at PIH. After the required tests were completed, a diagnosis of goiter was confirmed. Kelita was told she needed to have a surgical intervention called thyroidectomy, the removal of part or all of the thyroid gland. Due to her financial challenges, Kelita was referred to Watsi's medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, for support. Kelita could smile much bigger after hearing about the planned surgery and committed to a co-pay $27.64 from her savings. Kelita hopes to be well again after the surgical operation. Kelita looks forward to the peace of mind that will enable her to support her children as a single parent. “I need my peace of mind for me to resume my business and be able to carry items on my head again. Kindly help me,” Kelita says.