Mary is a 45-year-old small-scale farmer, living in Uganda. She is a single mother of five, with her first-born 30 years old and her last-born 14. She owns a two-room mud house for shelter and grows sweet potatoes, sorghum, and cabbage on her small piece of land. Six years ago, Mary began to experience troubling symptoms, including pain and swelling in her neck. She recently visited Rushoroza Hospital after being referred by a friend and was diagnosed with a nodular goiter. The neck swelling has continued to increase in size. She experiences fatigue quickly, affecting her ability to work. Additionally, she has experienced airway obstruction and has been told that she needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from worsening. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Mary receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on March 9th at Rushoroza Hospital. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland, a procedure that will cost $333. Mary needs your help to raise the funds to cover the cost of her care. Mary says: “I had lost hope of living a normal life again until a well-wisher referred me to Rushoroza hospital for surgical help under the donor fund. I hope to resume farming comfortably after surgery.”

Lydia is a mother of seven and a small-scale farmer from Uganda. Her husband is a supermarket attendant at Mega Supermarket, a big supermarket in Kampala, but has recently returned home to take care of his ailing wife. For nine years, Lydia has been experiencing abnormal vaginal discharge associated with lower abdominal pains. She has sought treatment several times without any improvement. She recently developed severe backaches and the abdominal pains have worsened, forcing her to stop farming completely. She has been diagnosed with chronic pelvic pain due to chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. She needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus. On February 6th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at our medical partner's care center. Once recovered, Lydia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. Lydia needs help raising $319 to fund her procedure. Lydia says, “I finally have hope of living a normal life once again through surgery. I believe that I will continue with farming comfortably after complete recovery.”

Pan is a 60-year-old husband and father from Cambodia. His wife is a farmer who grows rainy day rice. The couple has a son, who is a construction worker, and a daughter in the seventh grade. In his free time, he enjoys listening to the news on the radio or watching television. For several years, Pan has experienced hip pain from osteonecrosis, where blood flow to a bone is interrupted. He has had surgery on both hips in the past, but still experiences chronic pain. He is unable to help his wife on the farm and stays inside because he cannot walk without assistance. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC), are helping Pan receive treatment. He traveled two and a half hours to CSC's care center, where, on November 14th, surgeons plan to perform a right hip arthroplasty. During the procedure, the damaged bone and cartilage will be removed and replaced with prosthetic components. Now, Pan and his family need help raising $1,500 to fund his procedure and care. Pan shared, "I hope my right hip will have no pain after surgery, and I can walk and work for my family again."