“We just pray that our son will get well, have the ability to breastfeed and continue with normal growth,” share Christian’s parents.
Their baby boy, Christian, was born in last December in Tanzania. When he was just a few days old, his mother became alarmed when "he did not want to breastfeed at all,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). She also noticed that his abdomen was beginning to swell, and his skin was jaundiced.
Soon after, “Christian was diagnosed with biliary obstruction secondary to choledochal cyst,” AMHF tells us. This means that Christian’s bile ducts, which carry digestive fluids from the liver to the intestines, are blocked. “This biliary obstruction has to be removed to prevent too much toxic bile [from building up] in the blood,” AMHF tells us.
Christian needs a mass excision operation to un-block his bile duct. However, his parents cannot afford to pay for this procedure on their own. Christian’s mother recently had to quit her job to bring her ailing infant on frequent hospital visits, leaving the four-person family reliant on their father’s single income as a van driver. “The little that Christian’s father earns is not enough to cover their basic needs as well as the cost of operation which their son badly needs,” AMHF says.
Fortunately, with $920 we can help Christian get the care he urgently needs. This sum will cover the surgery to remove the choledocal cyst blocking Christian’s bile ducts, as well as a six-week stay for the baby afterwards at a recovery center.
After this procedure, “Christian’s liver will function well, allowing adequate bile flow to the intestine. Hence, no more toxins and Christian will feed well and continue with normal growth,” says AMHF.