This little boy is seven-month-old Shardrack, the second-born child in a family of two children. “Shardrack was born with a cystic mass on his lower back,” reports our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), and this puts him “at risk of developing severe, life-threatening infection or urine and stool incontinence if not treated.”
Shardrack’s family lives in a single room rental house. His father is a casual laborer working at a quarry site, while his mother sells vegetables at a local market to help support the family. His parents are unable to raise the funds for his surgical care that will close the mass and reconstruct Shardrack’s spine. The treatment will cost $805. After the surgery and recovery, AMHF expects that “Shardrack will lead a normal and healthy life with no risk of infection.”
“I am very grateful for the support that we are receiving from Watsi,” shares Shardrack’s father. “I know I may never be a rich man but I always work hard to make sure that my family does not lack a meal. I want my children to live long and healthy lives so that they can have a chance at brighter futures.”
