Meet Rehema, a 10-month-old baby girl from Kenya. “Rehema is her mother’s only child,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF).
Since birth, Rehema has faced health challenges due to congenital hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up within the brain. This fluid causes an increase in intracranial pressure, which can contribute to long-term health complications and interfere with important stages of childhood development.
“Rehema’s head has been progressively increasing in size,” says AMHF. “Rehema has been vomiting after meals and is therefore at a risk of dehydration. Increased intracranial pressure due to the excess fluid in her head may result in brain damage.”
Rehema’s mother and siblings are financially dependent on Rehema’s grandmother, who operates a small eatery. “Hailing from a poverty-stricken family, Rehema’s mother is not able to pay for the surgery that her daughter desperately needs to lead the normal, healthy life that she deserves,” says AMHF.
For $980, Rehema will undergo surgery to drain the excess fluid from her brain, reducing the intracranial pressure in her head. As part of her treatment, Rehema will receive five days of hospital care in addition to all of the necessary medical examinations—including ultrasounds and CT scans—to facilitate a successful operation and recovery.
“I hope she gets treated, goes to school, and grows to be an independent woman in the future,” says Rehema’s mother.
