Meet Frank, an active five-year-old boy from Tanzania. He enjoys coloring pictures and playing with balls, and lives with his parents and three siblings on their small farm.
A few years ago, Frank began developing leg problems that impaired his ability to walk. “He was born without any deformities but his parents noticed something was wrong when Frank turned one,” says our medical partner African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “He was able to sit and stand, he was even holding on to things and taking a few steps, but slowly his limbs started getting weak. Then they saw his limbs were bowed inwards preventing him from walking.”
Frank’s parents took him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with genu valgus, also known as knocked knees. This is an abnormal bone development where knee joints and thighbones weaken and become misaligned, and make it very difficult to walk. “Frank delayed to start walking and when he eventually started to walk, his gait was not normal,” explains AMHF.
“Frank’s parents are small scale farmers trying their best to take good care of their children. Coming up with enough cash to cover the cost of operation which Frank needs has been a challenge,” AMHF shares.
$940 will pay for a combination of surgery and casting to cut and realign Frank’s bones and joints. This will allow him to walk properly without knocking his knees, and will reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis at a young age.
Frank’s family is very hopeful for his operation. “In our village, we get from one point to the next mainly by walking. We hope that our son will have the ability to walk properly so that he can walk to school in the future,” says Frank’s father.
