It is with great sadness that I write you today with news of Workinesh’s
death. We first encountered her in
November when Doma’s first medical team in Ethiopia visited her remote
mountain village. It was immediately
determined that she needed surgery to correct a prolapsed uterus. She had neither the money to pay for this
surgery nor access to a health care facility that could provide this
procedure. Her family is poor; and Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is a 3 hour walk and 11
hour drive away. But we raised the money
– and quickly – because of the courage and generosity and compassion of people
like you. Workinesh made the journey to
Addis. During her stay there, she stayed
at Israel’s
parents’ house. (Israel hosts Doma’s teams and
worked with us to coordinate Workinesh’s medical care.) Workinesh’s family spoke a different dialect
than Amharic, the main language of Ethiopia. Israel and his family speak her
dialect so they were able to communicate with her and translate for her. The surgery to repair the prolapsed uterus
was successful. However, during testing
it was discovered that Workinesh had cancer of the vulva in an advanced stage. Israel and the hospital staff were
hoping and fighting to find a cure. Israel’s
brother even donated blood three times.
In the end, however, her disease was too severe, and she died late last
week. In her final days, Workinesh
expressed her gratitude for the work of Doma.
And at her funeral, her husband expressed how thankful he was that her
life was prolonged even these few months.
Amber is leaving for Ethiopia
in two weeks. She will spend time with
Workinesh’s husband and children, caring for them and expressing our grief for
their loss. We will also assess their
needs and do what we can to provide for them in this difficult time. Amber is also focused on identifying the
location for Doma’s first Prenatal and Early Childhood Care Clinic in Ethiopia. Before the situation with Workinesh fully
materialized, doma had identified her village as a key location, a remote and
poor mountain village. The primary
school in this village is only offered through the 3rd grade, and
they have only had this school for a couple years. But in this beautiful nation where so many
mothers and young children suffer, much can be done to intervene in the lives
of women like Workinesh, and prevent further, unnecessary loss of life. Early intervention in Ethiopia keeps mothers and infants alive, which means fewer children orphaned and stronger, healthier families raising children who thrive.
Please join us in this life-saving venture.
Please pray for the husband and children Workinesh left behind. Please pray for others like her, mothers and
children barely hanging on to life.
Please pray for our medical team when they are in Ethiopia in April
that they would be strong and serve well.
And please consider giving so that a clinic can be established as soon
as possible, and women like Workinesh can be cared for.
Thank you,
Julie, Dan, and Amber
Julie
Clark, Co-Founder, Executive Director
Dan Clark, Co-Founder, Marketing & Development Director
Amber Kaufman, Medical Coordinator
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