Freed from Unbearable Pain

45-year-old Shirley suffered with a hernia for over a year before she had money to confirm the diagnosis. She is a single mom raising two children in a remote part of Mexico. To make ends meet, she worked 12-hour shifts at a store waiting on customers or carrying heavy boxes to keep the store stocked. She said the pain was the worst in her leg. “If I would squat down too far, I could not get up,” she said. “There were times when I sat down because I no longer had strength in my leg to walk.”    

Shirley finally scraped enough money together to see a doctor. He confirmed that she suffered from an inguinal hernia. “He said I needed an operation because it could get much worse. He said it would cost $600 US dollars. I was in shock because I didn’t have that kind of money.”  

Shirley quit the job at the store and sold cosmetics on the streets. She said that allowed her to work at her own pace and allowed times to rest her leg. Then the hernia got worse. “It swelled and pain was terrible. Sometimes it was so bad I couldn’t sleep. About a month ago I was in bed for three days because the pain would not leave.”   

Yet she continued to work through the pain. “There came time when my leg no longer wanted to move. But I forced myself. I ended up walking really slowly. Eventually I had to drag my leg.”  

Then Operation Blessing arranged for Shirley to receive a free operation to repair the hernia. The surgery was successful. After she recovered, she said she no longer suffers from the debilitating pain that she lived with for over a year. “I feel like I got my life back! I can work and take care of my house and my children.”

Shirley feels so good that she has been able to sell twice as much makeup as before, doubling her income. “Thank you to all the people who helped me! And thanks to Operation Blessing. I don’t know how I would’ve done this without you.”