Mai is a bright and friendly 10-year-old student. She is in grade two and has an older brother and a younger sister. Her brother is a taxi driver and her sister is a student in grade one. Her father is a farmer and her mother works in a brick kiln firing pottery. In the future, Mai would like to be a nurse.
Mai was born with syndactyly of both of her hands and her feet. This means that she has three digits on each hand and foot that are fused together. She has difficulty using her hand for writing or carrying objects, and cannot wear shoes She is embarrassed about how her hands and feet look and suffers from a lack of peer acceptance.
Fortunately, on October 7th, surgeons will perform a syndactyly repair procedure to separate and release the fused digits. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, is requesting $444 to fund this procedure. After surgery, she will be able to use her hand easily and her self-esteem will improve.
Her mother said: “My child has had this condition since birth. We have not been able to take her to a hospital because we are financially struggling from the pandemic. I hope that the doctors can fix her hands and feet soon so she will look like other children.”