Meet Jose, a three-year-old boy from Guatemala. Jose was adopted when he was a baby by his loving adoptive parents.
“Norma, Jose’s adopted mother, was married for years but could never have kids since she had to have a hysterectomy when she was a teenager,” shares our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK). “Norma was thrilled to be able to take Jose in, and has been very happy with him.”
Over time though, Norma began to notice that Jose was not developing at the same rate as other children. “Jose is suffering from severe developmental delays and seizures due to congenital hydrocephalus. He was diagnosed when he was one-year-old when he first started to have seizures, but his family has not been able to afford therapy or medications for him,” WK tells us.
As of now, Jose can move his hands and hold a ball over his head, but he is having trouble sleeping and has seizures almost everyday. “Since Jose needs constant supervision, his mom has not been able to work, which makes it hard for their family to afford basic necessities,” shares WK.
Treatment for Jose costs $1,385, which consists of a full medical workup to clarify his diagnosis, medications for his seizures, intensive physical therapy, and social support for the family. WK shares that these efforts will “help lessen the economic stress that the family has been under with his condition, since all imaging, medications, physical therapy, and medical visits will be included free of charge for them. This treatment will give Jose the chance to become much more independent, mobile, and will decrease the frequency of his seizures…helping Jose reach his full potential, and help to work through the stigma of his developmental delay.”
Jose’s mother says that Jose is very smart and she cannot wait for him to start therapy. “My dream is to see my son walk and run,” says his mother.