Joram, a talkative three-year-old boy from Tanzania, lives with his parents and four older siblings. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, (AMHF), shares, “Joram likes to draw and color pictures.”
A few months ago, Joram was involved in an accident that left him with a severe burn on his right arm. AMHF explains, “Joram was quietly seated in the kitchen finishing his lunch while his sisters were outside chasing each other. Suddenly, his sisters came running into the kitchen and one of the sisters accidentally pushed Joram.”
Upon falling, Joram landed in a pot of hot milk, which “poured onto Joram’s right arm and part of his chest and stomach.”
Joram was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he stayed for several months to treat the burns throughout his body. At this point in time, “a good area of the wound has healed very well,” AMHF reports. However, one large part of his right arm has not responded to treatment, leaving an open wound.
According to AMHF, “The wound hurts when lightly touched and bleeds when dressing is done.” Due to these symptoms and pain, “Joram is unable to use his right arm.” Without treatment, Joram’s burn can lead to sepsis—a complication of infection that prompts a full-body inflammatory response, typically resulting in exceptionally high fevers.
Joram’s parents—who are both small scale farmers—have “spent a lot of money treating Joram’s wound,” explains AMHF. Despite their efforts, Joram’s parents’ income cannot cover the extra costs of the more complicated treatment that Joram urgently needs.
With $780, Joram will receive a skin graft to heal the burn on his right arm. This operation will transplant a section of Joram’s healthy skin to the site of the burn. Following this procedure, he will stay at Plaster House—a surgical rehabilitation center—for three months.
In time, “Joram’s open wound will heal,” predicts AMHF. “He will have the ability to bend and stretch his right arm, allowing him to perform activities better.”
“It was an accident which Joram’s sister feels badly about,” Joram’s parents tell AMHF. “We hope for complete healing so that Joram can use his arm normally.”