Meet Komucunguzi, a 38-year-old woman from Uganda. Komucunguzi is a farmer with six children.
“About four years ago, Komucunguzi felt some palpitations in her cheek,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “She felt as if something painless was moving up and down in her cheek.” Komucunguzi’s symptoms progressed, causing swelling and severe pain despite being given temporary treatment at a local health center.
Komucunguzi has many household responsibilities that cannot be completed because of the pain she experiences. AMHF explains, “She cannot sleep well at night and cannot eat well. If not treated, the swelling might continue to grow and become more painful. She needs an excision to make her better again but she does not have the money.”
$120 will cover the cost of treatment through a procedure called a mass excision. This surgery will remove the mass from Komucunguzi’s cheek. After treatment, AMHF expects, “Komucunguzi will be free from the pain and deformity. She will be able to eat and do her chores well.”
Komucunguzi shares, “I wish I can be well and be free from this pain, and be able to eat well.”