Where Goiters Grow
Rachel’s 2nd Trip Blog From Kenya
Dear Family,
While visiting Kenya a few weeks ago, I was able to meet with various medical patients who have been helped by the Critical Medical Needs Ministry of Heaven’s Family over the last ten plus years. Through all my travels, it did not cease to amaze me how many individuals shared with me that their lives had been changed by the medical care they were provided with, thanks to the generosity our donors.
Throughout my travels, I was able to meet with patients who have been helped in the past through the Critical Medical Needs ministry, often being provided with medicine or surgery to help with their medical needs. I also met with individuals who are presently in need, struggling with various medical conditions. I was presented with stories of patients who had been helped in the past with conditions like broken bones, tumor removals, injuries from accidents, and more. All these individuals shared very different stories, yet reiterated their unconditional thanks and praise to God for the help that they received.
In one particular village I visited, I was shocked by the amount of female patients I met that had received goiter removal surgery over the years because of Heaven’s Family’s help. Because many of these women live in poverty and eat diets that are low in iron and other vitamins, they are more susceptible to developing goiters. Many of the women whom I was able to meet with shared with me that the goiters they developed caused them extreme pain, oftentimes causing them trouble breathing and swallowing and making them lightheaded, which prevented them from being able to work. Most of these women are single mothers who struggle to find work or provide for their families, and without the help of Heaven’s Family, they could have never afforded to get the necessary surgery to remove the painful goiters they lived with. Now that they have received this simple goiter removal surgery, many of these women have been able to return to working and provide for their children and families once again.
Because of donors like you, the Critical Medical Needs Ministry is able to help provide lifesaving medicine, surgeries, and care for people all over the world who are suffering from various medical conditions. Many of these individuals have conditions that we would find to be easily treatable, but yet they suffer for years from these conditions because they live in poverty and cannot afford the treatment needed to heal them. With your help, thousands of individuals around the world have been healed from painful and life-threatening medical needs.
Thank you for helping to make a difference in the lives of so many individuals around the world. Because of you, James can walk again, Eunice can breathe again, and Benson’s father can rest easy knowing that his son’s life was saved – and these are only a few stories of those you have helped in Kenya! Through your support, we can continue to help provide lifesaving care and medicine to those living in extreme poverty, showing them that God cares for their needs and truly is a God of healing and grace!
Rachel Reed
Director, Critical Medical Needs Ministry