Meet Fadumo, an 18-year-old girl from Somalia. She is the first-born of nine children.
Eight years ago, Fadumo was milking her father’s goat when she sustained a head injury. Since then, frequent seizures, headaches, and medical travel have caused her difficulty in school. She cannot bend over to perform household tasks.
Fadumo has visited several hospitals in Addis Ababa and Hargesia without success. At one point, she was even told that there are no treatment plans for girls in Africa.
Finally, a missionary referred Fadumo to our medical partner’s hospital in Kenya, AIC Kijabe Hospital. Fadumo and her father journeyed to Kenya, where they stayed with a host family of the same religion.
Fadumo learned that she had a mucocele, or a mucus-filled mass, in her sinus. Without treatment, the mucocele would increase in size, putting Fadumo at risk of vision loss. She would also continue to experience seizures and headaches.
Fortunately, on October 25, 2016, doctors performed a craniotomy to remove the mucocele.
Fadumo’s father teaches religion, and her mother is a housewife. The family lives in traditional Somali temporary houses. They are unable to pay for Fadumo’s $1,495 treatment––which includes surgical costs, medications, and hospital stay––so they need our help.
“I want to be well to provide for my parents and get a quality education to help needy people at home,” says Fadumo.