Meet Wellen, a 35-year-old man from Uganda who has five children. For the last fifteen years, Wellen has dealt with pain from an inguinal hernia, a condition in which part of the intestinal tissue protrudes through the lower abdomen wall.
At first Wellen’s hernia didn’t cause him much pain. As it got worse over the years, he was able to manage his pain with medication. However, for the last year the medication has failed to help. Wellen’s pain has become much worse and he has begun to experience general weakness. He has had to cut back on his farming, relying on his wife and children to do much of the work on their small farm where they grow sorghum, corn, and other crops.
Despite their hardships, Wellen and his wife, Glorious, have managed to send all of their children to school, which makes them very happy. When he is not working or spending time with his family, Wellen enjoys meeting with the other men in the village savings group and sharing ideas to build the community.
In order to treat his pain and prevent possible future complications, Wellen requires a $208 hernia repair surgery, during which doctors will return the herniated tissue to the abdominal cavity and fix the weakened area in the abdominal wall. While he cannot afford the entirety of the cost, Wellen has contributed $4 towards his operation. “I hope to open a small shop in the village after my surgery,” he says, “so I don’t have to do so much labor farming, which could make my hernia return.”
“I thank all the donors supporting me,” says Wellen. “On my own, I would not have managed, but I am now hoping after surgery to be more useful again.” Let’s help fund Wellen’s procedure so he can return to his work and care for his family.