“I pray that my son gets well soon,” says the mother of Brandon, a one-month-old baby boy who lives in Kenya. Brandon was born with spina bifida, a birth defect characterized by the incomplete closure of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. “Brandon has a leaking sac-like protrusion on the lower backbone area,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Without treatment, Brandon is at risk for infection, a tethered spinal cord, curvature of the spine (scoliosis or kyphosis), and loss of muscle function in his legs. Brandon lives with his mother, a college student, and his maternal grandparents in a two-room mud-walled house. His grandparents, who are subsistence farmers, and his father, who is also a college student, are unable to raise enough money to pay for the surgery that Brandon needs. For $805, Brandon can receive a surgical procedure known as spina bifida closure. Doctors place the spinal cord and nerves back inside the backbone and cover them with membranes before closing the opening on Brandon’s back. Funding for Brandon’s treatment also includes a five-day hospital stay and three days of physical therapy. “The surgery will help reduce the risk of Brandon developing infections, tethered cord, and/or paralysis on his legs,” says AMHF. Let’s help Brandon fund the surgery that he needs!

"Jayden, a quiet and shy little angel," is introduced to us by our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). A two-year-old baby boy from Kenya, Jayden has bilateral undescended testes. "Jayden’s testes did not drop in the scrotal sac as expected in a baby boy after birth," AMHF explains. Consequently, Jayden is at a risk of developing testicular cancer or a hernia. He is also at risk of impotence if he is not treated quickly. AMHF tells us, "Jayden’s mom sells second hand clothes, while his father works as a casual laborer in a small hotel near their residence. Their daily average income is $5, which they depend on for all their needs." Jayden’s mother explains that she was unable to seek treatment earlier due to financial constraints—constraints that still keep Jayden from getting the surgery he needs. With $570 in funding, however, Jayden will undergo a double orchidopexy—a surgery in which one or two small incisions are made in the scrotum, the groin, or the abdomen to allow the surgeon to reach the testicles and move them to the scrotum. Following the surgery, Jayden will no longer be at high risk of testicular cancer, infertility or the development of a hernia. With tears in her eyes, Jayden’s mother shares, "It has not been easy for us knowing our son needs treatment but not being able to do anything. I am afraid it will affect his social life in future. I really pray that he gets treated."