“Abigaelle was normal after she was born, but when she turned four months old she became sick and her head started getting large,” our medical partner in Haiti, Project Medishare (PM), reports. Symptoms of the flu, fever, and vomiting, accompanied Abigaelle’s head growth. Her mother brought her to the hospital, and a CT scan revealed excess fluid in her brain.
Abigaelle was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which is the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. This can lead to brain damage and death if left untreated.
Abigaelle’s mother “used to do commerce in the past, selling second hand clothes in the streets, but when her baby became sick she spent the money she had and did not have time to go sale,” adds PM. Abigaelle’s father “is also sick and cannot respond to the needs of the family." Furthermore, Abigaelle’s family is currently homeless after their home was destroyed during hurricane season.
Her condition can be treated for $1,260, and surgery consists of a hydrocephalus shunt placement to drain the excess fluid in her head. This treatment will also help prevent other diseases prompted by hydrocephalus, such as seizures. We can help ease some of the hardship that Abigaelle and her family are facing by funding her treatment.