Victor is a four-year-old boy who lives in Kenya with his parents and older sibling. He is adored by his family, who welcomed him to the world with so much joy. When he began school last year, his parents could not help but think that life was perfect.
Earlier this year, Victor began to experience sudden abdominal swelling, prompting his father to rush him to their local hospital. Scans revealed swelling in his kidneys, but doctors could not determine the cause, and Victor was discharged after three days.
Not content to leave the condition unexplained, Victor’s dad began to search the Internet for more advanced hospitals that might be able to help. The family made the decision to travel from their hometown to our medical partner’s care center, BethanyKids Kijabe Hospital (BKKH). At BKKH, Victor was thoroughly evaluated, and his family was devastated when he was diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys.
Victor has been receiving chemotherapy and had surgery on his right kidney in June. At that time, doctors recommended more chemotherapy before treating the left kidney. Though these treatments were partially covered by health insurance, coverage has now been exhausted. Victor’s family is not able to raise the funds for his second surgery in time, particularly as his mother has had to stop working to care for him.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $1,081 to fund Victor’s second surgery, which will take place on September 3rd. This procedure will remove the damaged part of the kidney, reduce swelling, and improve Victor’s quality of life.
Victor’s father shared, “This year has been so heavy for us, both emotionally and financially. My small boy has gone through so much. Seeing him take so many pills and even go into surgery has been the most difficult part of parenthood. However, I am hopeful that after this surgery, all this will be a thing of the past. I hope that my son will get to be a child once again.”
