Emmanuel is a 14-month-old boy who lives with his parents and two siblings in a single-room rental house in Kenya.
“A few days after Emmanuel’s birth, his mother noticed that his urethral orifice was abnormally placed,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “It was after sharing this problem with a friend that she was advised to seek specialized treatment for her son, which she did. This came with a discovery that Emmanuel has hypospadias, and the treatment he needs would cost money that the family could not raise.”
In males with hypospadias, the urethral opening is on the underside of the penis instead of at the tip. The abnormal location of the urethral opening causes difficulty passing urine and an irregular stream. “If not treated,” AMHF explains, “Emmanuel is likely to experience urinary tract infections and infertility in future.”
Treatment for Emmanuel is hypospadias repair, a procedure in which a surgeon takes tissue grafts from the foreskin or from the lining of the mouth to extend the length of the urethra so that it opens at the tip of the penis.
$655 covers the costs of surgery and a 10-day hospital stay, including blood tests and medicine. Emmanuel’s parents are contributing $50 to help cover additional costs associated with his care.
After treatment, AMHF shares that “Emmanuel will be able to pass urine normally, and the risk of urinary tract infections will be reduced.”
