Meet Ruth, a four-day-old baby girl from Kenya. Ruth’s mother is a housewife and her father is a small-scale farmer.
Ruth was born with spina bifida, a neural tube defect. She has a fluid filled sac protruding from her lower back, covering the abnormally developed spinal cord tissue. Complications from spina bifida include long term issues such as malformation of the spinal cord and loss of muscle function in her lower limbs. She is also at risk of contracting infections, which could be fatal.
Ruth’s mother has worked hard to ensure the health of her new baby girl. Despite having no money to pay for hospital bills, “Ruth’s mother despite all odds struggled to bring Ruth to the hospital,” explains our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “Ruth’s mother says that she cannot watch her daughter die.”
For $805, Ruth will receive spina bifida closure surgery. Funding will cover surgical costs of the spina bifida closure, laboratory work, medications, hospital stay, and the necessary physiotherapy for Ruth to recover successfully.
After treatment, Ruth will no longer be at risk of developing infection, spinal cord malformation, or paralysis in her lower limbs. Children with spina bifida who have undergone this treatment tend to go on to lead active lives.
“I will not give up on my daughter,” says Ruth’s mother. “It’s my prayer that she gets well and becomes my greatest testimony.”