A Tanzanian Mom

"I am 23 years old, and I have two children. Six weeks ago, I walked an hour to a nearby hospital to give birth to my son. When he was born, he could barely breathe or eat. I was sent home. I was panicking. The following day, I rode a motorcycle, with my son strapped to my back, to have him evaluated at another hospital. When my baby and I arrived, we were sent home again because there was no pediatrician available to help us. I came back a couple of days later I learned that my baby had a large tongue mass that prevented him from breastfeeding. This time, the local medical team was able to drain the mass. However, it grew back rapidly because of a lack of proper equipment in the hospital, resulting in even more feeding problems. I was sent home again. I was losing hope. My baby was suffering from malnutrition and I was terrified. We traveled over 200 kilometers (124 miles) on multiple public buses to arrive here on Monday. Thankfully, we made it. The surgeons here were able to permanently remove it. I am very happy. I almost lost hope. My son was able to have the surgery. He can comfortably breathe and breastfeed. We are now doing well."