Meet Muteyanjula, a 10-month-old child from Uganda who lives with his parents and two older siblings. His mother is a farmer and grows food for their family, while his father works as a taxi driver to pay for his siblings’ school fees.
When Muteyanjula was four months old, his mother noticed an inguinal swelling. At first, Muteyanjula’s family didn’t have the money to take him to the hospital, so his grandmother advised them to give him local herbs. Unfortunately this did not improve his condition.
Muteyanjula was first taken to the regional referral hospital, where he was diagnosed with a left inguinal hernia—a protrusion of intestinal tissue through a tear in the abdominal wall. The doctors said he was too young for an operation and should wait until he turned five years old to have the surgery. But soon his family learned that if not treated right away, Muteyanjula may suffer intestinal tissue damage due to hernia twisting and blocking.
“He needs help,” shares Muteyanjula’s mother. Although Muteyanjula urgently needs an operation to prevent further damage, his family is unable to pay for his surgery. $249 will cover the costs of a hernia repair procedure, in which doctors will surgically reposition the protrusion of intestinal tissue and fix the tear in his abdominal wall. This will also pay for his hospital stay before and after the operation, so that Muteyanjula can quickly recover and return home to his family. Surgery is scheduled for October 11.
After surgery Muteyanjula will have a healthy childhood and his parents will have peace of mind.