Meet Bradley, a four-year-old boy who lives with his grandmother in Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) tells us, “Bradley has an abnormally big head size due to accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid.”
Bradley’s symptoms are caused by hydrocephalus—a condition in which too much fluid builds up and increases pressure on the brain and inside the skull, leading to an enlarged head and developmental issues.
AMHF explains, “If not treated, the accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid may cause brain damage. Bradley has already lost his ability to see because of the delay in his medical treatment.”
Treatment for Bradley consists of a surgery in which a shunt is placed in his head. The shunt connects to a tube that runs under the skin and empties into the peritoneal cavity (in the abdomen), where the excess fluid can be resorbed by the body.
Bradley’s grandmother works as a small-scale farmer to support herself and Bradley, but she does not earn enough to pay for the surgery and does not have other family members who can help with the cost.
$980 in funding pays for surgery to place the shunt, as well as five days of hospital care.
AMHF tells us, “Bradley’s treatment will reduce the increased intra-cranial pressure in the brain.”
Bradley’s grandmother shares, “I know it’s not too late, and Bradley will get treated.”