Rafael is an infant from Kenya. He is the youngest of four children. The family lives in a one-room rental house in the Nyanza region of Kenya. Rafael was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Rafael is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1,097 to cover the cost of Rafael's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on October 29. This procedure will hopefully spare Rafael from the risks associated with his condition, instead allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory. “Our entire family was shocked to learn of this condition but we are all praying for God’s will to happen in Rafael’s life,” shares Rafael’s mother.