Grace is a two-month-old baby and the second born in a family of two children. Their family lives in a small rented house in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Her father is the bread winner of the family but he is not employed formally. He does casual electrical jobs and work is hard to come by. Her mother used to sell clothes before she was expecting her baby. Their family does not have national health insurance coverage and cannot raise the required funds for their daughter’s surgery.
Grace has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. Grace was born pre-maturely at Kijabe Hospital and was admitted in the nursery for close monitoring and extra care. After spending two weeks in nursery, she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. At the time, there was not a neuro surgeon locally who could help and she was not stable enough to be referred to another facility. She has been doing well now, and a shunt surgery is scheduled to happen tomorrow as an urgent surgery to help treat her condition. Without treatment, Grace will experience severe physical and developmental delays.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Grace that will treat her hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on January 12th and will drain the excess fluid from Grace’s brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Grace will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl.
Grace’s mother says, “At first I was shocked when I heard about the condition and found it hard for us, but we believe all will be well.”