Meet Nancy, a five-day-old baby girl from Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), says, “Nancy is the last born in a family of four children and lives with her parents and two siblings in a two-room house.”
AMHF reports, “Five days ago, Nancy was born with a mass swelling on her lower backbone area in a hospital near their home. In the company of her mother, Nancy travelled over 450 kilometers to seek treatment.”
Nancy has spina bifida, which is a defect where part of the spinal cord is exposed through a gap in the backbone. AMHF says, “If Nancy does not receive treatment, she is at a risk of infection and development of tethered cord, which can lead to either scoliosis or kyphosis.”
Nancy needs a spina bifida closure. This procedure will close the defect over her spinal cord. AMHF says, “After a spina bifida closure, Nancy will no longer be at risk of infection developing in the exposed nerves and tissues. It will also prevent development of tethered cord.”
AMHF continues, “Nancy’s mother is a housewife while her father is a motorcyclist taxi operator and he supplements the little that he earns by cleaning his church.”
Nancy’s family needs $805 to cover the cost of treatment.
Nancy’s mother says, “I have heard people talk of this condition but I never thought it could happen to my child. This came to me as a shock and my prayer is that little Nancy will somehow get treated.’’
