“After surgery I hope to be well so that I can return to my work,” shares Tumuramye, a 39-year-old farmer from Uganda.
In 1999, Tumuramye developed a swelling in her upper abdomen after undergoing a C-section. The swelling was initially small, but over the past seventeen years, it has increased in size and become painful. Last year, Tumuramye’s discomfort became so great that she visited a hospital, despite not being able to afford treatment. There, she was diagnosed with a hernia.
Tumuramye’s injury poses a threat to her livelihood as a farmer: she is unable to do any manual labor because it increases her pain, meaning that for the past two years she has been unable to work to cultivate her beans and maize. Furthermore, if she is not treated soon, Tumuramye risks developing one of the life-threatening intestinal complications that can accompany hernias, such as tissue death.
For these reasons, Tumuramye urgently needs hernia repair surgery. But she cannot afford the procedure. She, her husband, and their daughter farm a very small piece of land, meaning that their income is low and seasonal. That’s where we come in: for $220, we can fund Tumuramye’s operation, as well as the medications, lab tests, and two-week hospital stay that will ensure her safe recovery from surgery.
After receiving her operation, Tumuramye hopes to resume farming her maize and beans so that she can once again earn money for her family’s basic needs.