58-year-old Muhizi is a proud father of four. He and his family are refugees from Rwanda currently living in a settlement camp in Uganda. Muhizi works as a security guard at a health facility and sometimes does casual labor to raise money for the education of her children.
A year and a half ago, Muhizi started feeling pain and itching in his right testis. He reported the condition to a health center, where he was diagnosed with a retractile testicle. This means that Muhizi’s right testicle may be moving back and forth between his scrotum—its proper position—and his groin.
The doctors at the health center gave Muhizi medication that relieved the itching sensation, but not his pain. In addition to Muhizi’s physical discomfort, if his condition remains untreated, it also carries an increased risk of testicular cancer and impotence.
Fortunately, there is a surgical procedure that can help Muhizi avoid these outcomes. Orchidopexy is an operation wherein doctors use a small incision to move an undescended testicle into the correct area of the patient’s scrotum.
Paying for this operation, however, is not possible for Muhizi, who spends the majority of his income on taking care of his children’s daily needs and education. “The doctor advised me to have surgery but I don’t have money,” he explains.
For $200, we can fund Muhizi’s orchidopexy surgery, as well as the medications and two-week hospital stay he will need to recover from the procedure.
This operation will help ensure Muhizi’s physical comfort and long-term health. After his surgery, Muhizi hopes to continue working hard to support his family, especially educating his children.