Jennifer is a 51-year-old, small-scale farmer. When she was young, she was in school up to the 4th grade, but then had to stop. She shared that her husband died in 2001 and left her and their children a two-room mud house. She has four daughters who are all married now and she lives with one of her grandchildren who helps her in domestic work. Five years ago, Jennifer began to experience troubling symptoms, including a painless neck swelling that has been growing gradually. After using herbs with no improvement, Jennifer visited a hospital, and a scan was performed. She was diagnosed with a multinodular goiter-an enlarged thyroid gland with separate bumps (nodules) on it. Jennifer was told that she needed surgery, but it was not done at that time due to finances. Now the goiter has continued to grow, and Jennifer is experiencing airway obstruction and periodic severe headaches. Jennifer needs surgery to prevent her symptoms from getting worse. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is helping Jennifer receive treatment. She is scheduled to undergo a thyroidectomy on September 22nd 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. Jennifer says, “I hope to become well through surgery so that I can keep up with my day-to-day farming duties.”

Doreen is a 45-year-old woman from Uganda. She has three children, with whom she shares a room in her parent's home. Doreen farms, focusing her efforts on cultivating crops for domestic consumption. In an effort to support her family, she also manages a small tearoom. For two months, Doreen has been experiencing continuous bleeding in a sensitive area. This condition, accompanied by a two year history of abnormal bleeding episodes, lower abdominal pain, backache, and unusual discharge, has taken a toll on her health. Her symptoms have not improved, despite Doreen's visits to the doctor. Initially, she was misdiagnosed as having a urinary tract infection. However, Doreen sought the expertise of a specialist when her symptoms persisted, and it was determined that she suffers from adenomyosis: a gynecologic condition that causes endometrial tissue in the lining of the uterus to grow into the muscular wall of the uterus. She will need to undergo surgery in order to resolve her condition. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is requesting $219 to fund Doreen's surgery. On August 8th, she will undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy at Karoli Lwanga Hospital, Nyakibale. Once she has recovered, Doreen will be able to resume her daily activities free of symptoms. Doreen says: “I am the breadwinner to my family but with such poor health, I am limited, because I have no energy to work. But I hope with your support, I will be treated and will surely get better.”

Eh is a 68-year-old grandfather. Eh resides alongside his wife, son, and grandson in a refugee camp along the Thai-Burma border. Eh is retired, while his wife is a homemaker. Both his son and his grandson are students. In his free time, Saw Eh enjoys listening to the news and songs, watching movies, and reading. Since early July 2023, Eh has had a right inguinal hernia. He experiences burning pain in his groin, which becomes swollen when he stands up after sitting for an extended period. He also faces difficulty with day-to-day basics like using the restroom. Fortunately, he is scheduled to undergo hernia repair surgery on November 16th at our medical partner's care center. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, requests $1,500 for Eh's hernia repair surgery. Eh said, "I am so pleased. I never thought that I would receive support for my treatment like this. So, thank you to BCMF and donors for your support. I hope I can get better soon. Once I am fully recovered, I will help my family with household chores."