Nwakaego knew she hadn’t been taking the best care of herself lately. If she were honest, most days she felt rather awful.
But as a widow living in Nigeria, left to care for 6 children on her own, she just hadn’t had the time – or the money – to see a doctor.
One time, two years ago, a medical mission team visited her town and diagnosed her with diabetes, so she knew she had a “sugar problem.” They gave her some medications that made her feel better, but once the medicine ran out, Nwakaego never sought any further medical care, and her symptoms returned with a vengeance.
Finally, Nwakaego attended another temporary clinic set up by a different medical mission team, led by Esther Mgbeike, a nurse practitioner from Texas who travels often to serve in Nigeria. On this trip, Esther had an ample supply of medicine with her from MAP International.
Nwakaego told Esther about her concerning symptoms, mentioning that she had a “sugar problem,” so Esther promptly checked her blood sugar. It was dangerously high.
“Thank God for the metformin I had with me,” said Esther.
The team was able to stabilize Nwakaego’s blood sugar with the metformin, gave her a 90-day supply of the medicine from MAP, and then arranged for her to see a local physician for follow-up care after the mission team was gone.
“Most importantly,” Esther said, “I spent a lot of time teaching her about her medical condition, with regards to diets and medication compliance.”
Esther’s mission team helped over 300 other patients like Nwakaego during their visit, but as Esther recounts Nwakaego’s story, she is grateful she had the supplies from MAP that she did.
“This is one of many ways MAP helps,” Esther said.
Now, Nwakaego can continue to care for her children without the added burden of dealing with uncontrolled diabetes.
For a limited time, your gift can go twice as far! To have your gift matched and help more women like Nwakaego, visit map.org/2x-match
