“Please help my granddaughter get treatment,” says Lightness’s grandmother. “She is in pain.”
Lightness is a three-year-old girl from Tanzania who loves to play. She is also very curious about school, and her grandparents hope that she will grow up to be a successful teacher someday.
Recently, while Lightness’s whole family was sleeping, a snake got into their house through a hole in the wall. It climbed into Lightness’s bed and bit her middle finger. She woke up with a cry of pain.
Lightness’s father treated the snake bite with herbs. Although these lessened the pain, the child’s hand kept swelling, and she developed a fever. By the time Lightness’s parents rushed her to the hospital, the tissue in her finger had already begun to die.
Now, the best course of treatment for Lightness is to amputate the finger in order to prevent further complications. However, Lightness’s parents cannot afford the operation. Her father supports his five children’s school fees and daily needs with the income he earns from farming. There is no extra money for unexpected costs.
But with your help, we can raise the $1,035 needed for Lightness’s operation on December 22. This total will also cover the costs of her lab tests, three-day hospital visit, and stay at a recovery center for children.
No toddler should have to live in pain. Let’s do what we can to help Lightness.
