Justus is an eight-month-old baby boy from Kenya. Unfortunately, he was born with meningitis and spent most of his first few days in the hospital.
A few weeks after being discharged, his family noticed that Justus’s head had increased abnormally in size and that he had lost a lot of weight. His parents thought these symptoms could be due to poor feeding, but six months later, they also noticed that he was missing his developmental milestones. For example, he could not hold up his head or sit like other children his age.
His family took him to the local hospital to receive a scan, which revealed that Justus has hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebral spinal fluid is retained in the brain. They were immediately referred to our medical partner’s care center, Bethany Kids Kijabe Hospital, for specialized treatment. The doctors recommended surgery, but his parents could not raise the required funds. If the condition remains untreated, Justus will be at risk of brain damage and vision loss.
Justus’s family of three children lives in a one-roomed house. His parents are employed as tea pickers, but their income barely sustains their family’s needs. For this reason, our medical partner is requesting $685 to fund the surgery.
This surgery will eliminate the high pressure on his brain and ultimately improve his quality of his life.
