“Francis was welcomed into the world in August of 2010,” shares our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF). “He is the first-born child to his parents and they live together in central Kenya. Francis’ parents are subsistence farmers on leased land. They live day-to-day on the income they make from selling their produce and the income Francis’ father makes when he finds occasional casual work.”
Francis has hypospadias, a condition when the “urethral opening is small and on the underside of the penis,” AMHF explains. “Francis does not pass urine normally.”
“Francis’ grandmother was the first to notice the irregularities and that he had difficulties passing urine,” continues AMHF. “They went to the nearest hospital, where Francis was diagnosed, but they were unable to afford treatment.”
$665 covers the cost of Francis’ hypospadias repair, which will allow him to pass urine normally. With treatment, he will no longer be at risk for urinary tract infections, infertility in the future, social embarrassment, and hygiene problems.
“Francis’ parents, just as many parents, want what’s best for their five-year-old son,” says AMHF. “They only hope that he will be able to live a normal life, one with the least amount of difficulties possible.”