“Luciana is a beautiful, six-month-old baby girl,” says our medical partner in Tanzania, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “She was born on June 4th, 2015. She has got a beautiful smile and likes to smile at anyone who tries to talk to her or play with her.”
Luciana was born with bilateral clubfoot, a condition which will force her to use the lateral aspect of her feet for walking when she starts to walk. If not treated, Luciana’s gait will be affected and chances of developing osteoarthritis at a young age will also increase.
“She is trying to sit and she likes to play with soft toys – mostly putting them in her mouth,” AMHF continues. “Luciana is the seventh born in the family and her father has got two wives and a total of twelve children. Luciana’s mother is a homemaker and her father is a livestock keeper. Luciana’s mother is the one struggling for her daughter to get treatment. With no income of her own it is impossible to pay for the treatment which her daughter needs.”
$1,160 will fund comprehensive treatment for Luciana’s clubfoot, including rehabilitation and post-operative costs. Treatment includes surgery, casting, rehabilitation, and physiotherapy. Luciana’s mother is hopeful that her daughter will receive successful treatment, and not have to endure pain or discomfort as she learns to walk.