Four-month-old Davina lives with her mother and grandparents in small three-room house in Kenya. Davina’s family brought her to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), after noticing that her head was growing larger.
Davina’s increasing head size is the result of hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain due to infection, trauma, malformation of the central nervous system, or genetic defect.
AMHF explains, “Davina is at risk of having delayed development and increased intracranial pressure due to the extra fluid in the brain, which can result in brain damage and eventually death.”
To drain the excess fluid, doctors will place a shunt in Davina’s brain and connect it to a tube that runs under the skin and empties into the abdomen, where the excess fluid can be resorbed by the body.
AMHF tells us, “Davina’s surgery will help eliminate the pressure impacted on her brain by the excess fluid in her head and reduce the risk of brain damage and blindness.”
Davina’s grandparents work as small-scale farmers to support themselves, their seven children, and baby Davina. They have no other source of income and cannot afford to pay for the surgery that Davina needs.
For $980, Davina will undergo surgery and spend five days in the hospital as she recovers. Funding also covers the costs of imaging, blood work, and medicine.
“I am glad to have found a place where Davina can be treated,” says Davina’s grandmother. “Please help her live a long, quality life.”
