This is Rachael, a 39-year-old woman from Kenya who lives with her three children and elderly mother. From a humble background, Rachael works as a casual laborer doing laundry or farm work for neighbors.
Rachel has been experiencing almost continuous abdominal bleeding and pain, but didn't visit a doctor because she couldn't afford treatment.
Rachael has uterine fibroids, non-cancerous growths of the uterus. The bleeding has caused Rachael to become anemic, which means her body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. She has had to receive emergency blood transfusions as a result, but to permanently cure her, she needs a hysterectomy.
When asked how she feels Rachael says, “I feel very desperate because my mother is old and I have left my children in her care. I hope Watsi will come to my aid so that I can be well again and have the strength to work for my children.”
For $790 Rachael will receive a total abdominal hysterectomy, which means that her uterus and cervix will be surgically removed. This procedure will relieve her of the bleeding and pain and also treat her anemia. After Rachael recovers she will be able to go back to work, take care of her children, and lead a healthy life.