Gaudensia is a 45-year-old mother of one from Uganda. She has weathered the storms of motherhood, loss, and abandonment with grace and grit. She is a small-scale farmer in the scenic hills of a village in Kabale District. For many years, she has been rising very early in the morning to tend to her crops, her mind and heart committed to one thing: taking care of her family. She shared that even after her husband left her for a second wife, she raised her two children on her own until one of them died. She ensured that her remaining child attended school, sacrificing her own comfort to secure the same for her child.
But five years ago, something began to change. It started with a dull abdominal pain, nothing sharp or urgent, just a quiet discomfort. She brushed it off and continued working, just as she always had. But the pain persisted. One month ago, the pain increased in intensity. This prompted her to seek medical attention at a local health center, but time and again, she was sent home with little more than pain medication. No diagnosis. No answers. Only frustration and a growing fear that something serious was being overlooked. Her condition worsened. The woman who once worked tirelessly under the sun could now barely tend her fields. Providing for her family became nearly impossible. Desperate and running out of options, Gaudensia shared her condition with a friend, who gave her advice to visit our medical partner’s care center, Rushoroza Hospital, for help.
With courage and determination, Gaudensia made her way to Rushoroza Hospital. Here, finally, she got signs of hope when the doctors identified her condition after various investigations. A diagnosis of cervical fibroids was made, benign, noncancerous tumors of the cervix. Doctors recommend a Total Abdominal Hysterectomy for treatment, but unfortunately Gaudensia is unable to raise the funds needed for surgery.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $319 to fund Gaudensia’s surgery. On November 18th, she will undergo gynecological surgery at Rushoroza Hospital. Once recovered, Gaudensia will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain.
Gaudensia says, “I seek support so that I may get relieved of the abdominal pain that I have endured for a very long time. I hope to feel healthy again and live a better, happier and enjoyable rest of my life. I will resume farming as soon as I heal.”