Mathayo is a happy one-year-old baby boy from Tanzania. Mathayo has hydrocephalus, a condition that causes an abnormal buildup of fluids in the brain. The fluid buildup causes increased pressure in the skull, leading to problems with Mathayo’s eyesight. He is also unable to hold up his own head, and subsequently hasn’t begun to sit or crawl without assistance.
His father is a businessman but is struggling to support his family with Matheyo’s additional medical expenses. Matheyo’s mother is forced to stay at home and take care of Matheyo due to his condition. Matheyo’s mother says, “I love my son very much. I pray to God that he will be able to sit, walk and grow like the rest of my children.”
For $850 we can fund Matheyo’s ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion. The procedure will help relieve the pressure buildup in Matheyo’s brain and hopefully allow him to resume healthy visual and motor development!