Meet Samuel, a one-year-old boy from Kenya. He is the fourth born child out of a family of four children. Samuel was born with spina bifida – a birth defect in which the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord are not completely closed.
“Due to financial constraints, his parents delayed bringing him to the hospital,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. “Samuel’s father is a public service vehicle driver, while his mother is a small scale farmer.” Because of this, they are unable to raise the money for his surgery.
With the leaking mass on his lower back, Samuel may develop an infection if not treated soon. He may also develop spinal complications, such as scoliosis and/or tethered cord.
“It has been stressful seeing our son suffer with this rare condition and not be able to do anything due to the lack of funds to bring him to the hospital,” Samuel’s mother tells us. “We are hopeful that our son will get the treatment he requires soon!”
$805 will fund treatment to close the mass on Samuel’s back, and reduce his chances of having an infection or spinal cord complication. Let’s help make it happen!