Meet Sharif, a seven-year-old boy from Uganda. “He likes playing football and enjoys the drawing lessons at school,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF).
Sharif developed a swelling on his right scrotum over the summer, which disappeared temporarily, but has now reappeared. He was given medicine, but it did not work.
Sharif was diagnosed as having a hydrocele. A hydrocele forms when a sac in the scrotum fills with fluid. This is commonly due to abdominal fluid seeping through an incomplete closure where the testes descended during infancy.
Sharif’s mother has completed nursing school, but is awaiting the test results for her certification before she can gain full-time employment. In the meantime, she is volunteering at a nearby medical center. His father is between jobs. They do not have money to pay for the treatment.
For $215, Sharif will undergo hydrocele repair surgery. The surgeon will drain the fluid from the sac, and will also suture the incomplete closure between the abdomen and scrotum so the hydrocele does not reoccur. The cost of treatment also covers the necessary antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication for after the surgery.
“We value your assistance towards Sharif’s treatment a lot,” says Sharif’s mother.
