Lucas is an infant from Tanzania. He is the youngest of five children. His parents are farmers.
Lucas was born with spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect in which the spine does not properly close around the spinal cord. Without treatment, Lucas is at risk of lower-limb paralysis, infection of the exposed nervous tissue, development of tethered cord syndrome, and possible developmental delays.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $966 to cover the cost of Lucas’s spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on July 20. This procedure will hopefully spare Lucas from the risks associated with his condition, instead allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory.
Lucas’s mother says, “I am very worried about my son. We have gone through so much within this few days of his life. Please help us get treatment for our son.”