Khadija*, a mother of 5 children, came to our Operation Mercy Community Health clinic with her 4-month-old daughter, Sarah*. One of our volunteer paediatricians read the reports indicating one failed kidney and another critically weak kidney. This needed urgent intervention!
Khadija felt helpless as she could not pay for a specialist appointment as well as the needed expensive imaging. We referred baby Sarah to a paediatric urologist and assisted her with the diagnostic imaging suggested by the specialist. The doctor prescribed urgent surgery to save her viable kidney. The surgery was expensive, but we were able to partner with another organization and some of our own contacts to fund the surgery.
This whole process involved complicated communication and stressful waiting times for Sarah’s family. For those of us involved from the Community Health clinic, it was a privilege to walk through this journey with Khadija and Sarah and to see the difference it made to them to know that there were people on their team.
The kidney surgery was life saving for Sarah! She is now an active and smiley 1 year old, adored by her older siblings.
*Names changed
photo: Operation Mercy Community Health Clinic
