Stephen is a baby from Kenya. He is the youngest in a family of three children. His parents are farmers.
Stephen 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, Stephen 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 $1,097 to cover the cost of Stephen’s spina bifida closure surgery. The procedure is scheduled to take place on September 10. This procedure will hopefully spare Stephen from the risks associated with his condition, instead allowing him to grow and develop along a healthy trajectory.
Stephen’s mother says, “I wish to see my son grow up as a healthy child.”