Byabazaire is a 23-year-old man who lives in Uganda. He completed high school in 2015 and plans to enroll in a carpentry and joinery program at a technical institute this summer.
“Byabazaire developed a swelling on his right scrotum when he was 13 years old,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. The scrotal swelling is the result of an inguinal hernia, a protrusion of the intestines through a weak spot in the abdominal wall. In males, the weak spot is typically in the inguinal canal, where the spermatic cord enters the scrotum. The protruding intestines descend into the scrotum, presenting as a bulge that may be painful.
When Byabazaire first noticed the swelling, “he always pressed [it], and it would go back inside,” explains AMHF. “When he turned 20 years old, the swelling increased in size, and it could not be pressed back inside anymore. [Now], the swelling is painful, especially when he is digging and walking.”
Byabazaire has tolerated the symptoms of the hernia for 10 years because he has not had enough money to pay for medical care. “I have lived with this hernia since I was 13 years old because there was no one to help me as my father died, and my mother is poor and sickly,” he shares. Any further delays in treatment put Byabazaire at risk of intestinal instruction or strangulation, which can be life-threatening.
For $220, Byabazaire will undergo hernia repair, in which a surgeon pushes the protruding tissue back into the abdomen and sews together the weakened muscle with a synthetic mesh. Over time, muscle tissue grows into and around the mesh to strengthen the area.
Funding for Byabazaire also covers the costs of a two-week hospital stay, pain medicine, antibiotics, and blood tests. “This treatment will reduce the risk of strangulation and improve the quality of life that Byabazaire leads,” says AMHF. “He will be able to work and also concentrate on his studies.”
