Separa is a three-year-old girl from Ethiopia. She lives with her mother and her six-year-old brother. Her father left when she was one year old, and her mother has raised the two children alone ever since.
Separa’s health problems started when she was just six months old, when she began having trouble with her tonsils again and again. When she was one, she had surgery to help her. For about three months she was better, but then her symptoms came back, and this time they were worse. She snores loudly every night and breathes through her mouth, even during the day. At night, her breathing becomes blocked while she sleeps, and she suddenly wakes up gasping for air.
Separa has enlarged tonsils, which, if not treated, will cause her symptoms to persist and possibly intensify over time. Our medical partner, Saglan Wajee General Hospital, is requesting $700 to fund a tonsillectomy for Separa, which is scheduled to take place on October 10th. Surgeons will remove her tonsils, hopefully relieving Separa of her symptoms and helping her live more comfortably.
Separa shared, “I just want my daughter to breathe and sleep well. She has suffered since she was a baby. I pray this surgery ends it.”
