49-year-old Kabarwani is a single mother from Uganda. Her son has a small business while her daughter has a baby and no job, so Kabarwani grows food to feed her family and also sells the surplus to make a little money for additional needs.
About a year and a half ago, Kabarwani started feeling lower abdominal pain. She visited a local health unit where she was given medicine, but her condition only worsened. When Kabarwani went to a hospital she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids– non cancerous growths on her uterus.
Although these types of growths do not typically lead to cancer, the doctor recommended that Kabarwani come back for surgery to remove them– surgery she was unnable to afford. So instead Kabarwani chose to just live with condition.
Besides abdominal and back pain, Kabarwani also has prolonged bleeding and painful menstruations. Due to this pain, she is currently unable to dig and tend to her crops, or walk long distances. If not treated, the symptoms will persist and she will be at risk of severe anaemia.
$250 will cover the costs of a total abdominal hysterectomy, where doctors at African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) will remove the fibroids as well as her entire uterus. This will ensure that the fibroid growths do not return.
After surgery, Kabarwani hopes to resume digging to continue supporting herself and her family. “I hope to be well soon,” Kabarwani shares.