Meet Kelvin, an 11-month-old boy from Kenya. “He is the youngest of five children. When Kelvin’s mother first gave birth to her sone, he was healthy for the first four months. Then, his head began increasing in size,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF).
“His eyes have sunk into his head and he cries out in pain more and more each day,” AMHF explains. Kelvin has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition where excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the head.
AMHF continues, “As a result, it is causing an increased intra-cranial pressure inside the skull and may lead to progressive enlargement of the head, if not treated. The elevated intracranial pressure may result to life-threatening brains them compression and potentially cause convulsion, tunnel vision, and possibly mental disability.”
Kelvin’s mother, who raises her son on her own, sells vegetables from the plot of land that she shares with her parents. She earns approximately $3 each day, which she uses to send her older children to school.
“It has become difficult for his mother to continue on with her business of selling vegetables as most of her time is spent on trying to seek medical help for her son in the hospital,” AMHF says. “Kelvin’s treatment will help his mother get back to her business and be able to earn money to sustain her five children who entirely depend on her.”
“Kelvin’s surgery will help reduce the excessive pressure in the brain, prevent visual impairment, and death,” says AMHF. The treatment, called a hydrocephalus shunt, involves the implementation of two catheters and flow control valve system to drain the excess fluid, and costs $980.
“I hope my son can support his head soon and his head can stop increasing in size,” shares Kelvin’s devoted mother. “Finances are the only restrictions.”