Addah is a 54-year-old hardworking mother from Uganda. She has eight children. Her oldest child is 32 years old, and her youngest is 13 years old. To support their family, she and her husband practice farming.
Ten years ago, Addah noticed a small swelling on her neck. Over time, the swelling began increasing in size, but she did not seek medical care due to it being painless. However, Addah has began to experience troubling symptoms within the past two years, including chest pains, neck pains, and airway obstruction. She was diagnosed with nodular goiter, meaning her thyroid gland is enlarged.
Her condition affects her life greatly because she can no longer sing, despite her being a member of the choir at church. She also has difficulty calling out to people from a distance because she often loses her voice. Addah needs surgery to alleviate her symptoms and prevent them from getting worse.
Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Addah receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on July 16th at our medical partner’s care center. Surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. This procedure will cost $333, and she and her family need help raising money.
Addah says, “I pray and hope to get well through surgery. I wish to live a normal life again so that I may comfortably take good care of my family as I used to.”