UGANDA – Tamara is a 9-year-old girl we had the pleasure of helping.
Her rapidly growing tumor was causing her pain, discomfort, and disfigurement. She and her family faced uncertainty when the local providers told her there wasn’t much they could do.
For the first nine years of her life, Tamara had a distant understanding of normalcy. The tumor on her neck started fairly small, but she was aware of it, even from a young age. It grew and grew every year as she did. As it increased in size, it became more difficult for her to move her neck properly. The pressure of the tumor caused pain, and she struggled to move properly.
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Her family did everything possible to find her medical help, but their resources were limited.
Growing up in Uganda, proper medical care was not only difficult to come by but virtually nonexistent. Her mother brought her to the local health clinic and was told the prognosis was not good. Tamara’s future felt uncertain as she and her family waited to see how the untreated tumor would affect her health, praying for a glimmer of hope.
Tamara’s tumor was a submandibular salivary tumor, meaning it was a tumor located in one of her salivary glands. This type of tumor can be cancerous or non-cancerous, but even the non-cancerous should be promptly treated with surgical removal. If left untreated, it will continue to grow and become even more dangerous.
When Tamara had the opportunity to have her tumor removed by a team of medical volunteers supported by MAP medicine and health supplies, her life changed forever.
She went under anesthesia and had surgery to remove her baseball-sized tumor. When she was wheeled her out of the operating room, her mother sang with joy. After years of fear and uncertainty, her parents could finally breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Tamara had a chance at living a healthy and normal life. Finally, this precious child could experience life as every child deserves. Once she is healed, an entire world will be open to her.
This surgery, like many others, would not be possible without supporters like you. Medical mission teams would not have the surgical supplies to carry out life-changing surgeries if generous supporters did not give to MAP. Healthcare access is hard to come by in many parts of the world, and not everyone gets the opportunity Tamara did.
Our work at MAP continues to bring health care access to children like Tamara because our supporters are dedicated to our mission.
