“Once I am well, I hope to open a hardware shop near our home to improve our economic situation,” says 40-year-old Mary, who lives in Kenya with her husband and two children. According to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), Mary has cancer on her left breast. “Mary has a two-year history of breast mass which has been hardening over time,” AMHF explains. “She experiences intermittent periods of pain on her breast. If not treated, the cancer may advance to other parts of her body and become fatal.” “Mary’s personal journey has been remarkably sad,” AMHF shares. “After being displaced during the Kenyan post-election clashes of 2007-2008 and having all of her family’s belongings torches, Mary began afresh. Her husband founded a church while she began working as a postage clerk. Because of her breast cancer, Mary has sometimes not gone to work because of the pain.” Despite the many advances for Mary’s family, she told AMHF that, “we are yet to be stable after the displacement, our house is incomplete and what we make is barely enough for sustenance.” $740 will cover the cost of Mary’s mastectomy and chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer. “We hope that after a left mastectomy is performed, the spreading of the potentially fatal cancer may be halted,” AMHF says. “Mary will be able to fully participate in working for her family and raising her children.”

“I have abdominal pain and prolonged bleeding. Unfortunately, I have no money for treatment,” shares Kamakune, a 34-year-old small-scale farmer who lives in Uganda. “Because of this condition, I would rather be resting at home, but I can't do that because I have to work and get money to take care of my son and myself.” Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us, “About two years ago, Kamakune felt a small swelling in the lower abdomen. She went to a health unit, where she was diagnosed with fibroids and was given medicine, which did not help.” Fibroids are benign tumors that grow within the muscle tissue of the uterus. They are very common—an estimated 80 percent of women have them in their lifetime. They can be very small (invisible to the naked eye) or very large (melon-sized) and can present as a single mass or a cluster of several masses. Treatment for Kamakune is surgery—a total abdominal hysterectomy—to remove her uterus and cervix. $250 pays for Kamakune’s surgery, medicine, and a five-day hospital stay. “After surgery,” says AMHF, “Kamakune will recover fully. She will have an improved quality of life and be relieved of her symptoms. She will be able to concentrate on her farming.” “Thank you for bringing us help,” says Kamakune.