Two-month-old Anthony lives with his parents and three older siblings in a one-room house in Kenya.
“Anthony was born with a head that was not proportional to his body in size,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “Anthony’s head has been progressively increasing in size.”
Anthony’s increasing head size is the result of hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is an accumulation of fluid in the brain as a result of infection, trauma, malformation of the central nervous system, or genetic defect. AMHF continues, “Anthony is at a risk of increased intracranial pressure, which may result in brain damage if not treated.”
Treatment for Anthony is a shunt to drain the excess fluid from his brain. Doctors insert the shunt into the 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. The procedure “will reduce the risk of Anthony suffering brain damage,” says AMHF.
Anthony’s father works as a welder, and the family runs a small-scale farm on their ancestral land. Despite their hard work, they do not earn enough money to pay for the surgery that Anthony needs.
For $615, Anthony will undergo surgery and spend five days in the hospital as he recovers. Funding also covers the costs of imaging, blood work, and medicine.
“If there is anything I could do, I would not hesitate so as to eliminate whatever he is undergoing,” shares Anthony’s mother. “My hope is that someday he will be well.”
