“Elvis is the only child to his young mother,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “His mother dropped out of school mid last year when she became pregnant.”
“Elvis’ father denied responsibility and abandoned his mother when he realized that she was pregnant,” AMHF continues. “Elvis’ mother solely depends on her pastoralist parents for her needs and those of her son. They all live in a grass-thatched, mud-walled traditional hut.”
Elvis was born with spina bifida, a leaking mass on his lower back along his spinal cord. A friend of Elvis’ mother told her about Watsi’s partner upon hearing of his need for treatment.
“Elvis is at high risk of developing infection in the exposed nerves and tissues,” AMHF tells us. “He is also at a risk of developing tethered cord that can lead to either scoliosis or kyphosis.”
For $805, we can fund Elvis’s spina bifida closure surgery. Treatment will close the mass on his lower back and reduce his risk of infection.
“I want my son to be healthy,” Elvis’s mother tells us. “I hope that one day I will be able to go back to school so that Elvis and I can have a better future!”