Joyce is a 41-year-old farmer from Ukwe, a remote village within Kabudula’s catchment area. She heard about Kab’s surgical program but due to distance and time, missed the ambulance providing free and direct transportation. Instead, Joyce traveled alone the whole day in hopes of receiving treatment.
Joyce had an extremely uncomfortable cyst on her right eye which was growing and obscuring her vision. Even though she arrived before our surgical camp ended, we did not have the necessary instruments to perform an eye operation.
Joyce was referred to Nkhoma Hospital but knew she would never manage to secure transportation or pay the surgical fee on her own. Luckily, the AHA family is full of incredible people - a sponsor stepped up to cover her transportation and fees within one hour of us posting the request, allowing us to liaise with the eye surgeon at Nkhoma.
Using photos to develop an initial diagnosis, Nkhoma scheduled Joyce’s procedure for the following week. The AHA team in Malawi supported Joyce as she secured transportation, provided her with the full sponsorship amount to pay fees and costs, and provided moral support and guidance in a complicated medical system. After a successful surgery, Joyce returned home to recover and had her follow up appointments at the much closer Ukwe Health Center.
Thanks to comprehensive and continuous care, there were no complications. Zikomo! Thank you to the incredible AHA family who sponsor complex cases like this.