Shantel is a newborn baby girl who lives with her three older siblings and widowed mother in Kenya. Shantel was born with spina bifida, a condition in which the spine does not completely form. Her spinal cord and its surrounding membranes protrude through an opening in her backbone, in turn exposing her spinal cord and making Shantel vulnerable to infection, loss of lower-limb muscular function, and early trauma.
As a subsistence farmer and single mother, Shantel’s mother is unable to afford the surgery that her daughter needs. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is therefore requesting $1,097 to cover the cost of Shantel’s operation. The procedure is scheduled to take place on June 28 and, once completed, will hopefully allow Shantel to live free from the medical complications that could result from her condition.
“I do not know what to do or where to turn, and I am so worried about my baby,” shares Shantel’s mother. “Please help us.”