The Fundraising Page of Dr. Carol McIntosh

Over 240,000 women die from cervical cancer per year and the top 10 countries are in Africa. The need is great for cervical cancer screening and treatment of women in Africa. In Sierra Leone, there are 600+ documented cases of cervical cancer diagnosed per year and 315+ women die per year from cervical cancer. Our mission trip in October 2016 was truly God led. I was able to provide training of the local Health Professionals which included a physician, Dr Kanneh, who is the Medical Director for Mercy Hospital, and 12 nurses, some of whom hail from 3 additional health institutions in Bo, Sierra Leone. The training entailed learning how to screen women for cervical cancer and is called VIA or Visual Inspection of the cervix with Acetic Acid (white table vinegar). It is an inexpensive form of cervical cancer screening in lieu of pap smears. The VIA is performed, and if a lesion is identified, treatment is performed at that time. The treatment is usually cryotherapy or freezing of the cervix with a cryosurgical unit. It must be noted that VIA screening and treatment has not been performed in Sierra Leone prior to this visit and what is historical is that the treatment is able to be performed now solely at Mercy Hospital in Bo, Sierra Leone. Thanks to Helping Children Worldwide, my supporters and The House of The Lord Churches under the guidance of National Presiding Bishop Dr. Herbert Daughtry, we were able to raise the money to provide the one and only cryosurgical unit in Sierra Leone. (A Wallach cryosurgical unit with two tips costs over $2500 USD) During this training session we screened 266 women and were able to treat 10 women and diagnose 4 with advanced cervix cancer. We were able to empower 13 health professionals to continue the screening for cervical cancer and treat precancerous lesions with the hope of decreasing the rate of cervical cancer and prevent the progression of disease. NEXT CHAPTER: We are returning in October 2017 and I would truly appreciate your help to purchase a portable colposcopy unit so we can provide this service on our village outreach, with the potential of saving many more women's lives each year. We will be able to screen women for cervical cancer and precancerous lesions, and I will be able to view the diagnosis from a distance. We are truly reaching across the ocean to help our sisters in Sierra Leone!