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Meet the Patient: Domini Umiro Lazaro

 

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When Domini Lazaro noticed a lump growing on her hand, she didn’t know what it was, but she knew enough to be concerned. She was far from medical care because she lived in a rural community called Kibohehe in the Kilomanjaro region of Tanzania. Even if she could get to a hospital with the necessary equipment to run the required tests, she couldn’t pay for it. She and her husband make very little money working seasonally doing manual labor on other people’s plantations. But she was still worried- what was this lump growing on her hand?

The lump grew, and she also developed a chronic UTI, adding to her physical and mental distress. She feared a terrible disease had taken hold. Eventually she came to a MEDLIFE mobile clinic, the only opportunity she had to see a doctor. She was put into follow-up care and taken to a hospital to get the tumor tested and the UTI treated.  When the results came in, it was just lipoma, the most common benign form of soft-tissue tumor. Lipoma is a slow growing fatty lump situated between skin and muscle deposits. It does not lead to any serious medical complications, but MEDLIFE still had it removed.

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Domini was given medicine for her UTI and discharged. She was very happy when the medicine caused the pain from the UTI to stop, because she said it had become more than she could bear. She was also given peace of mind. Domini and her husband can now rest easy and not worry that she has a serious health problem. 

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Hear it From MEDLIFErs

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Reya Seby
Western University

This trip motivated me more to pursue a career in the healthcare field so that I can use my resources to help those who need it the most, similar to MEDLIFE’s mission.

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Victoria DiCanio
University of Connecticut

It was most enjoyable to finish the hard work and see how big a difference a group of individuals can make. It was such an amazing experience.

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Anita Woo
University of Toronto

I enjoyed the mobile clinics the most, especially the dental and triage portions. I would definitely recommend a MEDLIFE trip, it was a great experience.

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David Saff
Maclay High School

The most enjoyable part of my trip was hanging out with the amazing group of kids I was with. I would highly recommend a MEDLIFE volunteer trip to others.

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Sydney Sansone
Nova Southeastern University

This trip made everything that I was learning in my public health courses come to life and immersed me in a new culture while also learning about medicine.

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Abygail Youmans
College of Charleston

Being involved with MEDLIFE is not like joining another club - its bigger than that. It is about joining a movement that seeks to help change people’s quality of life for forever.

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Emi Hofmann
University of Central Florida

Not only was I able to participate in a week long Mobile Clinic, shadowing doctors of all types of specialties including pharmacy, dentistry, gynecology, and more, but I was also able to learn about the culture and visit incredible places.

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Julian Takagi-Stewart
University of Toronto

One thing that I really loved about this trip was that MEDLIFE made sure that the volunteers got an understanding of the complexity of issues that lead to underprivileged people in communities outside of the main city

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Hannah Van Hofwegen
University of Ottawa

Whether it was basketball with the local kids, assisting the doctors, talking with families, building washrooms, holding babies, or spending time with the people who were on the SLT with me, this was an amazing opportunity that I would do over and over again.

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Isabelle Holt
Cornell University

I loved learning about the patients MEDLIFE has followed and how they offer real help to people with chronic/urgent conditions. It is amazing how the organization formed real connections with the communities.

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Valerie Lindeborg
Parent

Our family had the privilege of participating in multiple trips with Nick [founder] and his amazing staff. Their expertise made the trips unforgettable while instilling in my boys the fundamentals of good character: selflessness, compassion, and empathy.

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Harry Vildibill
University of Georgia

As an aspiring physician, MEDLIFE motivated me to further continue my goal of becoming a doctor. In fact, I enjoyed the Tanzania Service Learning Trip so much that I decided to go on another trip to Cusco, Peru.