Meet Kule, a 62 year-old father from Nepal. Kule has a wife and five sons, and “three of his sons work in a restaurant in India to support the family back home while two of his children are still young and live with him,” says our medical partner, Possible.
Kule has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition characterized by difficulty in breathing and cough due to poor airflow. It is generally recognized by its two most common components: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. This condition may be a result of household smoke, tobacco smoking, infections and genetic deficiencies of certain enzymes.
The primary source of COPD in Nepal is household smoke. The majority of people (68 percent) use firewood as the chief source of fuel in their kitchen, especially in rural Nepal where Possible is based. Additionally, 1 in 3 men in Nepal are smokers.
Kule has had COPD for about four years now. He needs help doing basic activities, his body aches and he feels breathless frequently, and he sweats profusely. For $270, we can fund oxygen therapy and antibiotics to help him breathe easier and allow him to do basic activities.
“When his condition was not as worse, he would help me with everyday chores - feeding the cattle and planting seeds. But now I feel that I’m keeping him alive with all my efforts,” says Kule’s wife.
Let’s help make treatment possible for Kule.