Meet Seth, a 51-year-old hardworking widow from Kenya. “She is a mother of seven, but one child passed away,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Two of her children work on construction sites, her two younger sons work as casual hands on farms, while her only daughter is a housewife.” Seth lives on a small farm, planting maize.
Seth began feeling unwell last year, and after her treatment did not improve with medication, AMHF tells us “her children took her to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with fibroids.” Fibroids are benign, fibrous tumors that have caused lower back and abdominal pain as well as heavy bleeding. While Seth’s children have subsidized the treatment, they have not been able to raise the full cost of treatment. They still need an additional $290.
The surgery required is a total abdominal hysterectomy, which will remove her uterus and cervix to ensure that the fibroids do not return. Seth has been unable to work on her farm full-time due to her condition.
AMHF explains that after surgery, “Seth will be able of go back to work on her maize farm and take care of herself.”
“I like being able to take care of myself,” Seth shares. “I do not want to become a burden to my children. Thank you for helping me get treated so that I [can] work on my farm again.”