When Sarah speaks, she’s expressive and joyful. She’s quick to laugh, joke with her children, and gestures widely with her hands. Her love for her family and her faith in God are apparent, even when she talks about the hardest moments of her life.

It hasn’t always been an easy road for Sarah and her family. When they were forced to leave their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo by violence, she was terrified her husband would die and her children wouldn’t be safe. But it’s only when she speaks about her complicated pregnancy that fear truly shines in her eyes.

“I was so afraid and uncertain about making it because my condition was severe,” she confesses.

But with faith and the support of Medical Teams, Sarah’s here today to share her story.

Meet Sarah

“Before fleeing to Tanzania, we had a good life with everything we needed and many dreams,” Sarah says.

Sarah and her husband, a priest, lived happily in the Democratic Republic of Congo with their 5 children. But when her husband’s sermons about peace and unity upset a local political party, the party had him beaten until he nearly died.

Sarah says,

“God heard his prayers and gave my husband a chance to escape and flee, so we followed him to Tanzania.”

Only by God’s grace did their family escape to Tanzania. Once there, they began to rebuild their lives in a refugee settlement. When Sarah learned she was pregnant with her sixth baby, she and her husband were overjoyed to be welcoming another one of God’s beloved children into the world.

Praying for her baby

But 6 months into her pregnancy, Sarah began to feel sick. She was dizzy and tired, and her stomach was swollen.

“My health deteriorated to the point where my husband rushed me to the clinic for treatment,” she shares quietly. “I didn’t feel like myself at all.”

Thankfully, Sarah lives near a Medical Teams clinic. She’d brought her children there for care before, but hadn’t sought out services for herself. But when she felt unwell during her pregnancy, she knew she wanted to give her daughter the best chance possible for survival.

At the clinic, Medical Teams welcomed Sarah and began treating her. After running tests, our providers diagnosed Sarah with pregnancy-induced hypertension, or high blood pressure, and began treating it with medication. They also helped her with general prenatal care, including malaria prevention medication.

She says,

“The kindness displayed me feel valued despite my sickness.”

Sarah came back for follow-up appointments throughout her pregnancy. Medical Teams providers treated her hypertension and monitored her closely until she gave birth. They even visited her at home to make sure she was well when she couldn’t make it into the clinic!

When she went into labor, Sarah had a postpartum hemorrhage. She lost so much blood she required a blood transfusion. Our providers acted accordingly, and she and her daughter both survived the birth.

Looking toward a healthier future

Today, Sarah is the proud mother of a healthy baby girl, Noela Amuri. Medical Teams continued to care for both Sarah and Noela after the birth. Sarah recovered from hypertension, and she and her husband explored family planning options. Noela was treated at the clinic recently for diarrhea.

Sarah says,

“I feel great, and can’t stop thinking about how much effort Medical Teams went through to follow-up with me when I needed them the most.”

Though Sarah and her family still dream of returning to their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it’s hard to imagine going back now. They don’t know if they still have a home there, or if they’d be welcomed. But having access to health care makes a difference, and so does living in peace.

Now, Sarah’s dreams are for her children. “All I can hope for is for my children to have a better life,” she says.

You make stories like Sarah’s possible

When families are persecuted, forced to leave home by violence, or sick after long journeys to safety — you’re the reason they’re cared for, comforted, and loved. Your support makes stories like Sarah’s possible. Without medical intervention during her recent pregnancy, it’s likely that both she and Noela would have died.

Your gift today can help another mother like Sarah! Your donation of just $13 can provide clinics caring for pregnant mothers all the supplies they need to safely deliver babies.

Lauren Hobson
Copywriter & Editor