Meet Tugaineyo, a 32-year-old mother from Uganda. To support her family and child, she works as a farmer while her husband does casual jobs such as assisting on construction sites.
“In 2011, Tugaineyo developed a swelling on her neck,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “She did not know what it was or what to do about it.”
She was diagnosed with a goiter, which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland at the lower part of the neck. Goiters are often caused by iodine deficiencies, and Tugaineyo’s enlarged thyroid causes her pain while swallowing and difficulty breathing. If left untreated, it may develop into cancer.
When Tugaineyo first learned of her goiter, she couldn’t afford the proper treatment. “Later she was treated with local medicines and even underwent a procedure to burn the bump in her neck,” AMHF reports. However, the lump did not go away and the procedure left her with a large scar.
Tugaineyo needs a thyroidectomy to fully remove the goiter. $170 will fund this operation, in which doctors will remove her thyroid gland. This will help alleviate her pain and discomfort, and allow her to return to her daily life.
“I will be able to work harder after my treatment and look after my family,” Tugaineyo says.