Urgent Medical Care

Everyone thought 10-year-old Sentayew had COVID-19. Her symptoms were similar, and her cough was getting worse. Yet a positive diagnosis would destroy her family. The stigma in Ethiopia toward COVID-19 was intense. People had lost their homes and livelihoods because of it. Sentayew’s mother was hesitant to seek treatment for her daughter for fear they, too, would be stigmatized. But she couldn’t delay any longer when she woke in the middle of the night to Sentayew coughing up blood. She rushed her daughter to the Compassion center for help. And thanks to the generosity of friends like you, Sentayew survived. She was diagnosed not with COVID-19 but with a pulmonary hydatid cyst, a rare parasitic infection that required urgent intervention. Sentayew faced a long road but has since fully recovered. “I want to be a doctor when I grow up,” she says. “I am happy that I am healthy again. I know I’m well because of the help of the center. I thank them every day.” Thank you for providing critical medical care to children like Sentayew!