“Cynthia is just 12-days-old and is suffering from anorectal malformation,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “Cynthia is missing an anal opening and therefore cannot pass stool normally. Cynthia presently passes stool through her vagina. The opening is prone to infection and occasional leakages can occur and cause skin scarring and general irritation.”
Cynthia lives with her mother, father, and six-year-old sibling in Kenya. “The father is a plumber who earns an average of $6 per day and the mother is a stay-at-home mother,” AMHF explains. “They reside in a two-room rental house and the parents own no land. With the little income Cynthia’s father gets, they are not able to raise funds required for her surgery.”
An anorectoplasty for Cynthia costs $715. After the surgery is performed, AMHF expects “that Cynthia will be able to relieve herself normally, greatly minimizing damage to the surrounding anatomical structures. She will no longer be prone to infection, leakage, or irritation.”
“We are glad we’ve finally found a place where Cynthia could be treated,” her mother shares. “We hope to get the support we need for her treatment.”
