From Zanzibar to FAME
“I am so happy. My suffering is over now. Already, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Thank you FAME. Your love, care and compassion has seen me through the darkest moment of my life. I came here alone, but once I arrived I was not alone. I had friends, brothers and sisters looking out for me. Thank You!”
Emma* is a 23-year-old woman from Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. For three years, Emma had been suffering from stomach problems including, intermittent pain which had recently become worse, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal and lower back pain and frequent urination.
Emma visited a lot of hospitals in Zanzibar, and with her condition not improving, opted to come to Arusha where her mother lives to seek treatment. In Arusha, the cost of treatment was too expensive and she was starting to lose hope for a pain free life.
“One of the hospitals I visited in Arusha asked me to pay $13 for laboratory tests. I had just arrived from Zanzibar and I could not afford this, having spent a lot of money on my journey. I explained this to the doctor, who advised me to go to Karatu and look for a hospital called FAME. He said that they were very good, and that it was more affordable than most of the hospitals he knew in Arusha”
Emma began researching any information she could find about FAME, and came across FAME’s Facebook page. She saw that one of her friends had “liked” the page! She couldn't believe it. This friend lived in Zanzibar as well!
“It was 10:00pm but I didn't care! I called her immediately and asked her if she knew anything about this FAME or she was just liking random Facebook pages. She laughed and told me that she knew FAME very well, that she had given birth here and that it was a good hospital. She advised me to come here straight away.”
Confident in her friend’s recommendation, Emma boarded the next bus to Karatu from Arusha, a journey of 90 miles. Once at Karatu town, she boarded a bajaji (auto rickshaw) to FAME.
“I arrived and was directed to the reception. I introduced myself and told them that I had come from Zanzibar to seek medical attention, and that I was alone. They were so good to me! I think about it now and I smile. God’s hand guided me here.”
FAME conducted lab tests and admitted Emma to the inpatient ward with uterine fibroids, which needed to be removed urgently. Emma needed surgery.
“I quickly thought that this meant they would remove my uterus and I would never be able to have children. However, the doctors explained to me in great detail what they were going to do. After this talk I felt peace and a calmness come over me. I knew I was in good hands.”
The surgery was a success, and after five days Emma is well enough to go home. She will stay with her mother in Arusha until she is ready to travel back to Zanzibar.
FAME is happy to not only serve the 2.9 million Tanzanians living in our catchment area but also people from far and wide, who travel miles and miles to get to us. Thank you for trusting us and for sharing your stories of FAME so that we can continue to provide much-needed healthcare to people in need.
*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share her photos and story with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical