Christopher is newborn baby boy, born to a vegetable vendor and truck driver in Tanzania. He has two older siblings and parents that are determined to raise a healthy baby.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, shares that Christopher was born with myelomeningocele, a condition where the backbone and spinal canal don’t close before birth. Christopher also has hydrocephalus, where a buildup of fluid inside the skull leads to brain swelling.
$1,200 will fund treatment to heal the lesion on Christopher’s lower back and prevent him from contracting infections. It will also stop his head from swelling and eliminate the risk of blindness.
AMHF adds, “If not treated, Christopher is at high risk of not being able to see, it will be easy for him to contract infections through the open lesion and his growth will not be normal.”
“Christopher’s parents did not expect their baby to be born with such complications. To a certain extent, the condition of their child has affected them psychologically, but now that they know something can be done to help him, they have hope of raising a healthy baby. The challenge is coming up with enough cash to cover the cost of operations needed,” AMHF shares.
“We just hope our baby will grow up like his siblings; able to walk and perform various activities as he grows up,” Christopher’s mother shares.