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Help Save Madina's Legs

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Six years ago, I traveled to Tajikistan under the auspices of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program in order to learn perfect my Persian in Tajikistan, one of the countries where it is spoken. I was 18 -- and believe me when I tell you that I was very, very, nervous. My host family, however, quickly calmed me down -- and became my real family. My host mother, Zarina, waited for me to come home every night and yelled at me when I snuck out with boys.* My host father, Akmal, introduced me to all his relatives and regularly brought my favorite fruits home from work. My host sister, Madina, became one of my closest friends -- someone who I stayed up late talking to, went to the water park with, and called whenever I was feeling sad, even when I was far away from Tajikistan. Six years later, we are still in close contact -- and I visit Tajikistan and stay at their home every year. I credit them with motivating me to study Central Asia as a career, which I am doing today.

Last May, Madina was diagnosed with osteonecrosis of the femoral heads of her legs. In plain English, this means that the tops of the bones in her legs (i.e., of her femurs) are dying: blood supply to them is slowly being cut off. There is no way to stop this process other than by undergoing surgery. Otherwise, she will completely lose the ability to walk.

For reference, Madina is a single mother. She was divorced from her ex-husband in 2018 and lives with her parents and her little daughter (8 years old). In Tajikistan, being a divorced carries with it tremendous social stigma, making it much more difficult for Madina to remarry -- and thus find an additional source of income. Both of her (and, by extension, my host) parents are of retirement age, though Akmal, her father, continues to work.

As you can imagine, surgery is a very expensive undertaking for families in Tajikistan, which simply lacks the appropriate healthcare for such serious conditions as this. After her initial diagnosis, Madina went to India for surgery in June 2022 for 21 days. Although India is the cheapest option for Tajik citizens, this is still extremely expensive: surgery on both of her legs cost $3,300, but together with the hotel, medicine (purchased for a year), and airfare, the trip cost $8,000. In a country where the average wage is about $176/month, this is more money than some people will ever see in a lifetime. My host family was -- miraculously -- able to save and raise the money for this trip.

For a year and two months, Madina took vitamins (calcium, D3)/medicines, went swimming regularly, did various stretching regimes, and took gymnastics classes in order to encourage blood flow and strengthen her bones. This past summer, she went to the "medgorodok" (medical city) just outside Tajikistan's capital in order to undergo acupuncture treatment and take the necessary shots to relieve her immense pain. Despite all of this, however, Madina's condition is not improving. She is limping more and more and was forced to quit her job on August 20 because she is in too much pain to go to work.

Madina is going to India for a second emergency operation on August 31. This second operation will cost $8,100. Together with airfare, hotel, and medicine, this will cost $13,000 for 21 days. My host family has pawned all of their remaining gold and silver jewelry and raised as much money as possible, though they still need $500. I would like to raise $600 to give them a little bit of a cushion.

Please, please, please consider donating. While Madina is only one person -- and not even my blood relative -- she, as well as Akmal and Zarina, has become my family over the past six years. Were it not for her, I would not be studying the Central Asia that she has come to symbolize for me.

*I have used pseudonyms throughout this text to protect my host family's identity, as they have ask.
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Donations 

  • Katia Zimmerman
    • $25
    • 1 yr
  • S.Robert August
    • $100
    • 1 yr
  • Anonymous
    • $150
    • 1 yr
  • Elliot Eisenberg
    • $100
    • 1 yr
  • Jodi Rogers
    • $100
    • 1 yr
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Organizer

Leora Eisenberg
Organizer
Somerville, MA

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