A Hole in the Wrong Place
Bringing relief to victims who have an unusual disorder
Dear Friends,
Sometimes we just cannot imagine the problems some people have, especially some of the folks who live in Lira, Uganda.
More than 40 adults and children from that city were born without what you and I take for granted—a rectum. Instead, they have open wounds in their abdomens from which their feces exits their bodies, often resulting in infections—and terrible odor.
Due to poverty and scarcity of supplies such as diapers and colostomy bags in their region, many resort to plastic shopping bags or simply rags to catch excrement when it comes—without warning—from the side of their abdomens. In addition to the risk of infection and chronic odor created by these methods, patients also must live with social stigma and isolation.
The photos above and below show two children afflicted with this condition (I chose to spare you from the more graphic images I received).
Needless to say, the Compassion Club cares about the plight of these children and the more than 40 others who suffer from this condition. For the month of October, your Compassion Club investment is partnering with Heaven’s Family’s Critical Medical Needs Ministry to provide three months’ worth of sanitary diapers and clean colostomy bags for each of these patients. Our hope is that they will be able to enjoy life without infection, help them to live more normal lives, and experience the love of God in a tangible way that brings encouragement to believers and opens the doors of hearts who do not yet know Him.
It is a wonderful ministry tool to these hurting and outcast individuals who struggle with this deformity every day. Our goal is to supply them with the diapers and colostomy bags by Christmas. Our partner is using this opportunity to build trust so that she can continue to minister to them in Jesus’ name.
In the future the Critical Medical Needs Ministry hopes to find good candidates for colon repair surgery, which would be the ultimate solution to their problem. But for now, bags are better than rags.
Thank you for your compassion,
Jody Walker
Compassion Club Coordinator
