Mary is a 46-year-old mother with two children aged 28 and 25 years old. Mary takes care of her family, while her husband is a casual laborer at construction sites. Mary was generally in good health until a few years ago, when she started having upper abdominal pain. To treat her condition, Mary visited many hospitals that provided her with pain medication. She also underwent a scan that showed she had gallstones, but was told treatment would not remove them. Fortunately, Mary's pastor and other friends advised her to come to Nazareth Hospital for another opinion, where a surgeon confirmed she had gallstones and advised that she undergo a cholecystectomy procedure for treatment. If not treated, Mary will continue to experience pain, and her condition could develop into bladder inflammation and bile duct inflammation. Mary will be receiving assistance from our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. She is scheduled to undergo a laparotomy to start treatment for her gallstones on April 1st, and the procedure will cost $788. Once recovered, she will hopefully be free of pain and able to return to her daily life activities. Mary shared, “I have had a lot of pain and have gone to very many places seeking treatment for the last four years. I kindly hope and plead for help so that I can be well and regain my normal life."

“If I can only get well again! I hope to expand my small grocery business so that I can support my children better; I am their only hope,” shares Jane, a 39-year-old woman from Kenya. Jane is a single mother and sells vegetables at the roadside near her home to support her two children. Since May 2014, Jane has been experiencing continuous and irregular uterine bleeding caused by noncancerous tumors, or fibroids, in Jane's uterus. Due to the bleeding masses in her uterus, Jane is now at risk for severe anemia. The fibroids will continue to grow, affecting surrounding organs. Doctors at our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), have recommended a total abdominal hysterectomy, a surgery Jane is unable to afford. We can fund a successful surgery for $790. “We expect after a total abdominal hysterectomy, Jane will recover completely,” describes AMHF doctors. “She will be relieved from the excessive bleeding and the growth of the fibroids will be stopped.” Let’s help Jane move forward with her life!

Hamza is a sweet seven-year-old boy from Ethiopia who has never been able to attend school. Hamza was born with a birth abnormality called bladder exstrophy, where his bladder extrudes to the outside his abdominal wall. Urine leaks through this opening and the smell leads to painful social isolation for Hamza. Without treatment, Hamza's future isn't very bright. He will most likely be a social outcast for the rest of his life, restricted from getting an education, and will be highly susceptibility to infection and other bladder complications. Hamza’s parents want to see him thrive and be able to lead a normal life, but they are poor and cannot afford the treatment he needs. For $1,200, Hamza will receive the surgery to repair his open bladder, which will give him the chance to grow up to be a valuable member of his community.