Meet Samuel, a 10-month-old boy who lives with his mother and father in Kenya.
“Samuel’s right testis did not drop in the scrotal sac as expected in a newborn baby boy,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. Because of the undescended testis, “Samuel is at risk of developing testicular cancer and/or hernia. He will also be at risk of infertility if not treated quickly.”
In male infants, both testes usually move down into the scrotum just prior to birth. However, in some infants, one or both testes may stop along the path to the scrotum, pausing in the abdomen or groin before continuing to the scrotum within a few months. For those infants whose testes do not descend by four months of age — as is the case with baby Samuel — surgery is required.
During surgery — a procedure called an orchidopexy — doctors make an incision in the scrotum or groin, detach the testis and cord from surrounding tissues, manipulate the testis into the scrotum, and suture it into place.
Samuel’s family is unable to pay for the surgery that Samuel needs. Samuel’s father is often away from his family looking for work to earn enough money to meet the family’s basic needs.
$540 in funding covers the cost of surgery for Samuel as well as three days of hospital care. AMHF tells us, “Samuel’s surgery will reduce the risk of testicular cancer, infertility in the future, and developing an inguinal hernia.”
“I hope my son gets treated and lives a normal life,” says Samuel’s mother.
