November 25, 2015
“I want to be treated and provide for my children until they finish college,”
says 40-year-old Marivic, a mother of five from the Philippines who works as a domestic helper to support her family.
“Marivic found out that there was an enlargement on her right anterior neck in 2001,” our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM), tells us. In 2010, screening tests confirmed that she had an enlarged thyroid, and, ICM reports, “she was advised to continue for another diagnostic procedure and seek medical treatment, but she could not afford another medical procedure.”
The thyroid is a gland in the lower neck that produces hormones to regulate the body’s metabolism. An enlarged thyroid (goiter) begins as a lump or swelling at the front of the neck and can become large enough to obstruct nearby structures and cause difficulty swallowing or breathing. More than 90 percent of goiters in the Philippines are due to a deficiency of iodine, an important element in the body’s production of thyroid hormones.
Treatment for Marivic is a thyroidectomy, a surgical procedure in which doctors remove the thyroid gland. $1500 covers the cost of the surgery, as well as transportation to and from the hospital, 10 days of hospital care, and medication. ICM says, “After the operation, Marivic can uphold her family of five children more efficiently.”
Marivic shares, “I am hopeful that there will be people who could help me with my treatment.”
“I want to be treated and provide for my children until they finish college,”
says 40-year-old Marivic, a mother of five from the Philippin...
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January 19, 2016
Marivic received surgery to remove her enlarged thyroid gland.
Marivic’s surgery was a success! “She will have the full strength and capacity to work and freedom without the discomfort of having physical manifestations of her lump and the psychological trauma of the dread that her condition might shorten her life,” explains her doctor at International Care Ministries (ICM). “She will feel empowered that she is now a fully functional person to serve her family, church and community without the fear of the unknown.”
ICM continues, “In all aspects of her life, whether be it the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual, she can now see the full potential of being effective and have so much space for growth and maturity.”
“Before the operation, I really thought that my time with my children will be shortened, that I will not see them until they will have their own families,” shares Marivic. “Now, I see my place being a part of the course of their lives more clearer and God has made this possible through your help. To fulfill the only joy of a mother towards her children, to be able to provide and take care of them until they are strong enough to stand on their own. I thank you with all of my heart.”
Marivic's surgery was a success! "She will have the full strength and capacity to work and freedom without the discomfort of having physical...
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