Meet Akon, a cute newborn baby from Malawi, and just a few months old. Akon is the first-born child to a family that farms maize.
Akon is a patient with our medical partner, World Altering Medicine (WAM), and has a condition called hydrocephalus. He has a build-up of fluid in the cavities deep within the brain, leading to high intracranial pressure. The condition causes head enlargement in infants and can lead to muscular and cognitive disorders if not treated promptly.
Akon’s head has become so big that his neck can no longer support it, and he also has poor sight—another common symptom of the condition.
For $992, we can treat Akon with a procedure that will use a shunt to drain the excess fluid from the brain. The fluid will be rerouted into the abdominal cavity where it can be reabsorbed. Funding will cover the costs of surgery, a seven-day hospital stay, labs, travel and lodging, and medications.
After treatment, Akon’s head will normalize in size and the build-up of intracranial pressure will be relieved. WAM reports that Akon’s neck will be able to support his head and “he will regain his lost sight.”
Though the family cannot afford the surgery, Akon’s parents are hopeful for their son’s future thanks to Watsi support. “I hope that the surgery will help my child regain his normal life,” Akon’s mother shares.