By Meghan Murphy | Operations Manager
Tibetans face many challenges in Tibet. Last year, The Bridge Fund launched the Urgent Care project, having been made aware of individuals with serious and urgent medical needs but without the means to access the necessary hospital care. We are grateful to those Tibetans who have spearheaded this project in Tibet and pleased to inform you through this initial report that your donation to this project is having life-saving impact.
Thus far, we have raised sufficient resources to provide a compassionate care companion and cover care costs for two Tibetans in need of urgent medical attention. We have already shared Ani Dolma's case on our GlobalGiving project site, so now let us introduce you to Yongtso.
Yongtso is a 50-year old Tibetan nomad. She is the mother of 10 children, which may seem like a high number but is not unusual in traditional nomad families. In addition to looking after her children, husband and household, Yongtso must also perform the demanding duties typical of nomad women, which include the herding, caring for and milking of yaks, and producing butter, yogurt and cheese from their milk. It is physically demanding work. Last year, Yongtso began to feel some pain and was particularly exhausted. For sometime she carried on until at last she was too ill to leave her bed. When her situation became known to us, her husband was contacted with an offer of urgent assistance.
With support from the Urgent Care project, Yongtso was able to travel with a companion to the provincial hospital where tests confirmed a malignant tumor in the lower part of her uterus. The diagnosis was cervical cancer and the available treatment required surgery and a weeks-long stay in the hospital. After a 30,000 yuan (nearly $4700) payment and 20 days of treatment, Yongtso was released to return home. Her family is overjoyed that she is feeling better and back with them.
Surely Yongtso could not have imagined that people unknown to her would help her survive an illness that could have taken her from her family. She is very grateful, and all of us at The Bridge Fund add our sincere thanks to Yongtso's and her family's for your generosity. We wish you a happy and bountiful New Year and humbly ask for your continued support for this project.
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