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For eight years, they told her no

Khoudia was 10 when a tumor began growing on her cheek. For the next eight years, she and her mother searched for help, only to hear the same answer again and again: “We cannot do the surgery.”

Country Dakar, Sénégal
Age 18
Treatment Maxillofacial and tumour surgery

Video

Video

Meet Khoudia

Khoudia grew up on a peanut farm in central Senegal as the oldest of seven children. She helped her mother, Atta, care for her younger siblings and worked alongside her on the farm.

As the tumor grew, so did the bond between mother and daughter.

My best friend is my mother. When I got sick, she helped me, she supported me, and she was with me the whole time.
Khoudia
  • The swelling in Khoudia's cheek first appeared when she was 10. Over the next eight years, the tumor continued to grow as her family searched for treatment.

The swelling in Khoudia's cheek first appeared when she was 10. Over the next eight years, the tumor continued to grow as her family searched for treatment.

After years of searching for treatment, and another delay during the pandemic, Khoudia finally received the surgery her family had been hoping for. A volunteer surgical team removed the tumor she had lived with since she was 10.

“I never thought that this tumor would be removed from my cheek.”

  • After years of being told the tumor could not be removed, Khoudia saw the result of her surgery for the first time.

After years of being told the tumor could not be removed, Khoudia saw the result of her surgery for the first time.

I looked at myself and said, ‘Wow!’
Khoudia

Help make another long-awaited surgery possible

For Khoudia, surgery ended eight years of searching and waiting. It meant freedom from pain, returning home without the tumor she had carried since childhood, and the possibility of moving forward with her life.

Many people are still waiting for access to the surgical care they need. Your gift can help bring life-changing surgery within reach, giving more patients and families the chance to move beyond years of waiting and begin a new chapter.

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