Meet adorable one-year-old John from Kenya. John is the youngest of five children and his parents make a living as subsistence farmers. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) shares, “They live in a single-rental house, and all their income comes from the farming they do on their ancestral land.”
John was born with a condition called spina bifida. Spina bifida is a birth defect in which a baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly. Babies that are born with this condition have a sac-like protrusion on their lower backbone area. AMHF tells us, “John is at risk of getting infection on the exposed nerves and tissues.”
The treatment for John’s condition will cost $805. AMHF shares that the closure of his spina bifida will “prevent infections from developing in the exposed nerves and tissues.”
Due to their financial constraints, John’s parents are not able to pay for the surgery, “I can’t even think of anything I would sell to amount the funds required for John’s surgical care. I hope we will get help,” says John’s mother. John’s parents hope that he will receive treatment soon, and that he can live a normal childhood without pain or discomfort.