Shallot is a 28-year-old female farmer living in Southwestern Uganda. Her husband and three stepsons live on a small piece of land, where they raise crops to support themselves. The income generated from their farm helps pay for school tuition from her stepsons.
Ten years ago, Shallot began to experience troubling symptoms, including substantial swelling around her neck. The village where Shallot lives is very remote, taking over two weeks for her to travel in order to seek medical care. However, six months ago, her symptoms worsened. She started experiencing neck stiffness and numbness and began having difficulty speaking and breathing. She visited several different health facilities. After multiple tests, she was diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid gland with nodules within it. Surgery was recommended, but Shallot was unable to move forward with the procedure due to a lack of funds.
Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Shallot receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on January 24th at AMH’s care center, where surgeons will remove all or part of her thyroid gland. The procedure will cost $252 and dramatically improve Shallot’s life.
Shallot says, “I need your support, and I hope my health will get better after surgery.”
