Wesley is a baby from Kenya. He lives with his elder brother and parents in a one-room rental house in the Nairobi suburbs. His father, the family's sole breadwinner, is training to be a mechanic.
Wesley 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, Wesley 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 Wesley's spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on April 12. This procedure will hopefully spare Wesley from the risks associated with his condition, instead allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory.
“I long for the once happy family we had. We hope this gets behind us soon,” shares Wesly’s father.