Joseph is just over three months old. When he was born in his home in Tanzania this past October, he developed jaundice, “but his mother did not notice until when his brother came to see the baby and commented on the [yellow] color of his eyes,” according to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF).
After taking her baby to the hospital, Joseph’s mother learned that his jaundice is being caused by a choledochal cyst, or an abnormal lump in his bile ducts. This “intra-abdominal mass is preventing the drainage of bile and pancreatic juice to the intestine to assist digestion,” AMHF tells us. If left untreated, choledochal cysts can be fatal, as they sometimes lead to complications such as pancreatitis and masses forming in the liver.
Joseph urgently needs to undergo surgery to address this dangerous cyst in his abdomen. However, his mother, who earns her wages by farming a small plot of land and two cows, cannot afford to pay for the operation. In addition to Joseph, she and her husband must provide their seven other children with the basic needs of food, clothing, and school supplies.
For $920, we can fund the operation that will remove his choledochal cyst. This sum will also pay for his six-day hospital stay post-operation, and a six-week stay at a children’s recover center, Plaster House. After this procedure, “There will be adequate bile and pancreatic juice flow to the intestine to assist digestion and Joseph will continue with normal growth,” AMHF says.
Joseph’s mother shares, “I pray that my son will get well, have good health and continue with normal growth so that I too can start working and take better care of my children.”