“Like most children, Sandra was born normally and this was a great joy to her mother,” says our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). Sandra and her mother live together in a rental house in Kenya.
When Sandra turned five months old, she became sick. “She cried most of the time, at times would throw up after feeding and her head size was increasing at a greater rate than the body was. Sandra’s mother knew something was not right and she sought for help in the nearest clinic,” AMHF says.
When Sandra was diagnosed with acquired hydrocephalus, her mother remembered it to be the worst day of her life. “I was hysterical and couldn’t think rationally—everything slowed down,” says Sandra’s mother. Sandra is now 11 months old and needs treatment for her condition.
Acquired hydrocephalus is a condition where an abnormal amount of cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain’s cavities. It could be caused by a tumor, injury, or meningitis. The clinic that made the diagnosis suggested a shunt operation to relieve the pressure in Sandra’s brain. “Operating a small kiosk and having no one to look to, Sandra’s mother, who is a single parent, is not able to raise the needed funds,” explains AMHF.
With $615, Sandra will undergo surgery where a shunt will be placed to divert the excess fluid in her brain to her abdomen where it can be reabsorbed into her body. Depending on the particulars of her case, she may also receive an endoscopic third ventriculostomy, where a small hole is made in the floor of the third ventricle of the brain and the excess fluid is drained through there.
“Life’s roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors,” says Sandra’s mother. “I have faced many storms in my life, and my anchors have grounded my with hope and strength.” Let’s help Sandra grow up healthy!
