Dinah is a 72-year-old mother and farmer from Kenya, who has endured severe pain from osteoarthritis in her right hip for 15 years. Despite her age and worsening mobility, she remains the main provider for a household that depends heavily on her. She lives in a simple mud house without electricity and relies on lanterns for lighting. Her family collects water from a well about one kilometer from home. She has eight children, all of whom are currently unemployed, and she continues to carry much of the responsibility for supporting the household.
Dinah could not afford definitive treatment, so she spent years trying local remedies in the hope of easing the pain. These only offered temporary relief and could not correct the damage in her hip. The pain has progressively worsened over the past 15 years. Walking, standing for long periods, and completing ordinary household tasks have become increasingly difficult. The 1KM journey to fetch water is now a painful undertaking, and the condition has also limited her ability to farm and provide for her family. No specific accident or injury was reported as the cause. Hip replacement surgery would give her the chance to relieve her of pain, help her regain greater independence so she can return to farming, and participate more fully in the daily life of her family.
Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner IcFEM Dreamland Mission Hospital can help. On August 17th, Dinah will undergo a total hip replacement to relieve her pain, and allow her to regain function of her leg. Another organization is helping to support her treatment, but Dinah still needs to raise an additional $1,500 to fund the procedure.
She says: “For 15 years, I have lived with this pain because I could not afford surgery. I only pray for the chance to walk without pain, return to my farm, and care for my family again.”