Alineti is a small-scale farmer from Malawi. She is 62 years old and lives alone as her seven children are all grown and married. Though they help her when they can, most days she depends on herself, farming a small piece of land to get by.
Thirty-nine years ago, Alineti began to experience troubling symptoms, including a swelling on her neck. It started small when she was in her early twenties, and it didn’t cause too much trouble for many years. However, as time passed, especially from the early 2000s, the swelling became larger and more challenging to manage. In recent years, the goiter has made even the simplest tasks hard. She can no longer bend down to farm properly and often struggles to breathe, especially at night. For a long time, people thought she might have asthma. She didn’t get much medical help, not because she didn’t want it, but because getting proper care in her area wasn’t easy.
Fortunately, a few weeks ago, our medical partner’s care center, Nkhoma Hospital, organized a surgical camp near her. She was finally seen by a doctor who diagnosed her with a right goiter, which is an abnormal swelling of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland, located in the front of your neck, produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are responsible for various bodily functions, including metabolism and growth. She needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Alineti receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on June 3rd. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $491, and she and her family need assistance in raising the funds.
Alineti said, “It’s hard for me to breathe, and I can’t do the work I used to. If I can get this operation, I believe I’ll feel better, and I’ll be able to take care of myself again.”