Margret is a 61-year-old single mother whose life has been marked by resilience, sacrifice, and unwavering determination in the face of overwhelming challenges. She has dedicated her life to raising her children despite limited resources. In 2021, tragedy struck when she lost one of her children, a loss that left an emotional wound from which she has never fully recovered. Today, she lives with her sister, who has become her primary caregiver, assisting her with daily activities, medications, and ensuring that she attends her medical appointments.
For the past 25 years, Margret has been living with diabetes. She has remained committed to taking her medications and attending regular follow-up appointments, allowing her condition to remain well controlled for many years. However, managing a lifelong illness has placed a significant financial burden on her family. Unable to support herself financially, she depends entirely on her siblings, who contribute monthly to purchase her medications and meet her basic needs. Their support has been a lifeline, but it continues to strain the family’s limited resources.
Margret later developed chronic kidney failure, requiring dialysis twice a week to sustain her life. The diagnosis came shortly after the devastating loss of her son, and the emotional trauma contributed to a period of severe depression. Losing a child while facing a life-threatening illness became one of the darkest chapters of her life.
Despite these hardships, Margret continues to fight with courage and hope. The demands of dialysis have significantly changed her life. Traveling to and from the hospital twice a week is physically exhausting and financially draining. To make these frequent hospital visits possible, Margret relocated to town, where her sister welcomed her into her home and became her main source of support. Living closer to the dialysis centre has reduced the burden of travel and enabled her to access the care she needs, but it has also increased the family’s financial pressure as they now provide for both her medical and daily living expenses.
Margret’s brothers have stepped in to help pay for her children’s school fees and support the family. One of Margret’s daughters successfully completed her studies in veterinary medicine; however, despite her qualifications, she has been unable to secure formal employment. This has left the family without the additional income they had hoped would help reduce the burden of Margret’s medical expenses.
In an effort to improve the safety and quality of treatment, Margret was referred for the creation of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), which is the preferred long-term access for dialysis. Unfortunately, shortly after the procedure, she became seriously ill and required hospital admission. The complications prevented the fistula from maturing, leaving her dependent on temporary dialysis access, which carries a higher risk of infection and discomfort. Following review by her nephrologist, Margret was referred to our medical partner’s care center, AIC Kapsowar Hospital, for reassessment. After careful evaluation, the surgical team identified another site that offered a better chance of successful AVF creation. Both Margret and her family are encouraged by this opportunity and remain hopeful that the new fistula will mature successfully, allowing her to receive dialysis more safely, reduce her risk of recurrent infections, and improve her comfort and quality of life.
Margret’s previous procedure was covered through her national health cover, but unfortunately, this new procedure was not approved. In recent months, her family had exhausted their limited savings while clearing previous medical bills and now find themselves without any means to pay for the surgery.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Margret receive treatment. On July 9th, she will undergo the AVF creation procedure which will give her the opportunity to receive safer and more reliable dialysis, reduce her risk of life-threatening complications, and restore hope to a family that has faithfully stood by her throughout years of illness. Now, Margret needs help to fund this $1,127 procedure.
She says, “I would really wish to have a working AVF, which will help with my dialysis treatment. Please help me.”