Nelson’s Story

Nelson was born with an umbilical hernia. His mother Joy recalls that Nelson was in perpetual pain, and cried constantly from the time he was born, until the day of his operation.

Desperate to alleviate her child’s suffering, Joy took Nelson to many hospitals in search of assistance for him, but everywhere she went she was told the same thing: there is a surgery that will save him, but it will cost you millions of shillings to get it.” Doctors at the last hospital Joy visited told her that without an operation soon, Nelson was likely to die.

Desperate for help, Joy walked the streets of her community asking people for money for Nelson’s operation. While some people gave her what they could, it was not enough to pay for the operation. In an effort to reach more people and raise more money for his operation sooner, Joy planned to appeal to a local radio station to share Nelson’s story, but fate intervened and they didn’t have to take that step.

Joy learned about Bulamu, and brough Nelson to Mayuge Health Center IV, where Bulamu was holding a week long Surgery Intensive, where patients receive surgery at no cost to them, and for less than $250 per surgery to Bulamu.

Nelson’s hernia was more complex than a field surgery could accommodate safely, and Joy began to despair that Nelson would not survive, but thanks to Bulamu’s Angel Patient referral program, our teams arranged for Nelson to receive his operation at one of our partner pediatric hospitals.

With his operation behind him, Nelson is returned to health. Joy reports that he is a very jolly boy! She recently shared with us that “Bulamu gave me a reason to smile again! I never thought that my son would live up to this stage”.

Bulamu is a lifeline to suffering patients like Nelson. You can be a lifeline, too. Please give.