Esther is a 45-year-old single mother of three from Malawi. Her children are between the ages of 22 and 27, and she presently lives with her last born child who runs a small retail business in town. One of her older children is a farmer while the other is a home maker. Esther works in people’s homes, doing laundry for a living, and also gets some additional support from her children. She enjoys a meal of chicken and nsima, which is made from maize flour.
Earlier this year, Esther started experiencing heavy bleeding accompanied by abdominal pains, loss of appetite and weight loss, which made it difficult for her to carry out daily tasks. A month ago, she went to a local hospital for cancer screening and was diagnosed with uterine fibroids. She was referred to our medical partner’s care center, Partners in Hope (PIH) Medical Centre, where she was assessed, and surgery was recommended. Esther needs to undergo a hysterectomy, a procedure in which surgeons will remove her uterus.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is helping Esther receive treatment. On December 18th, she will undergo a hysterectomy, and once recovered, she will be able to resume her daily activities free of pain. She and her family are able to contribute towards the cost of her treatment, but need help raising an additional $1,363 to fund the procedure.
Esther shared: “I will not tire of coming to PIH until my condition improves, because I’m not ready to die at my age.”

