Three-year-old Robinson lives with his mother, father, and twin brother in Tanzania. He enjoys playing with his cars and with other children.
Robinson’s mother brought him to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), seeking treatment for hypospadias, a condition in which the opening of the urethra is not centrally located at the tip of the penis. In Robinson’s case, “the opening is to the anterior side,” explains AMHF.
Robinson was diagnosed with hypospadias at two months old after his father noticed that he had an irregular urine flow. Doctors informed his parents that he would need surgery, but the procedure would not be performed until after his second birthday.
Now, Robinson is old enough to undergo hypospadias repair. A surgeon will take tissue grafts from the foreskin or from the inside of the mouth to extend the length of the urethra so that it opens at the tip of the penis. “If not treated,” says AMHF, “as an adult, Robinson will have fertility problems.”
Robinson’s mother is a small-scale farmer who grows onions and rice, and his father is a sheik. Together, they earn enough to pay for the family’s basic needs, but they have had difficulty raising enough money to pay for the surgery that Robinson needs.
$837 covers the cost of Robinson’s surgery as well as the costs of 10 days of hospital care after surgery, lab work, imaging, and medicine. After surgery, “Robinson will be out of the risk of having fertility problems as an adult,” AMHF tells us.
“I really hope my son will be well, get a good education, and later on have his own family,” said Robinson’s mother.