At just seven years old, Asiimwe is a bright young student at the top of his class at his nursery school in Uganda. His parents support his education with the income they make from farming maize.
Asiimwe was born with bilateral inguinal swellings. His mother took him to a clinic, where it was determined that he would require further medical care at a hospital for his inguinal hernias—protrusions of the intestines through weak points in the abdominal muscles. At the time, however, Asiimwe did not show signs of pain. As the family has no spare income, they put off making a hospital visit.
During March of this year, Asiimwe began to complain about pain brought on by the swellings. The pain has become so unbearable for Asiimwe that he stayed home from school for the last week. He cannot sleep properly and is only comfortable when curled up in the fetal position. His mother finally decided it was time to seek help from a hospital.
En route to the government hospital, a taxi driver informed Asiimwe’s mother that she should take her son to Holy Family Virika Hospital and seek out a program called Watsi. Upon arriving, she managed to do just that.
Treatment for an inguinal hernia is an operation to push the protruding tissue back into the abdomen and sew together the weakened muscle with pieces of synthetic mesh. Over time, muscle tissue grows into and around the mesh to strengthen the area.
The cost of surgery, $249, is overwhelming for Asiimwe’s parents. With funding from Watsi, Asiimwe will undergo surgery on April 26. Let’s help fund surgery for Asiimwe!
