Señora Pascuala's Story
Señora Pascuala had been in pain for more than five years. An abnormal growth on the 70-year-old woman’s foot made sheparding and caring for her family difficult; but at 12,000 feet above sea level in an indigenous mountain village in Guangaje, Ecuador, it was even more difficult to do anything about it. Fortunately, Timmy Global Health routinely sends volunteer medical teams to serve her remote community. She sought care and was referred to one of their in-country health partners. Her diagnosis was serious: a cancerous tumor that needed to be removed before spreading. Timmy staff searched for treatment options, but a shortage of specialists and charity in the local healthcare system left no one to perform her operation. Then one day, she received the unexpected news that would save her life. Timmy was expanding their medical service trips beyond primary care. And where would they host the first team of surgeons? Guangaje. Señora Pascuala’s tumor has since been successfully removed. As part of their ongoing follow-up care, Timmy collaborated with a local health center to change her bandages every other day and send doctors on house calls until she was completely healed. Now she lives out her days without pain or assistance as one of 65,670 patients served through the partnership between Timmy Global Health and Focusing Philanthropy.