Aida is a 36-year-old mother and wife living in Malawi. She likes chatting with her children and enjoys eating rice served with beef as well as vegetables prepared with groundnut flour.
Aida was well until seven years ago when, she noted a small swelling toward the left side of her neck that was not painful. She did not visit the hospital since she thought it was going to clear on its own; however, the mass has increased in size. Recently, she has been experiencing frequent coughs and sometimes chokes at night, which has affected her daily activities.
About two weeks ago, Aida met another beneficiary of surgery who guided her to visit Partners in Hope Medical Center (PIH) for support. On November 29th, Aida’s surgeon confirmed the diagnosis of a goiter and recommended a surgical intervention called thyroidectomy, which is the removal of part of the thyroid gland. A goiter is a swelling of the neck resulting from enlargement of the thyroid gland that causes pain and breathlessness that may be life-threatening if not treated.
Due to her financial challenges, Aida was sent to our medical partner’s office to learn about the Watsi program, where she learned she was eligible to receive assistance in funding the $1,015 surgery from donors around the world. Aida was finally very happy to hear about the surgery and talked to her husband, who promised to support the treatment with $29.79 from his business.
Aida is hoping to get better after surgery so she can continue supporting her children and loving family, saying, “Kindly help me, I believe surgery will help me get back to normal to continue caring for my children.”