“I will do anything it takes for Mercy to get better,” shares the mother of Mercy, a three-year-old girl from Kenya. Mercy, who lives with her mother and four siblings, came to our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), to be evaluated for lower back pain.
“Mercy was born with both spina bifida [exposure of the spinal canal due to an improperly formed backbone] and hydrocephalus [an accumulation of fluid in the brain],” AMHF tells us. “At the age of two weeks, Mercy had a shunt inserted in order to deal with her hydrocephalus, but her spina bifida remained untouched. As a result of this, Mercy has now developed a tethered cord.”
In children with spina bifida, the exposed spinal canal allows the spinal cord to attach to other tissues in the lower back. The cord becomes tethered to those tissues and is unable to move freely within the spinal canal, leading to back or leg pain, weakness or numbness of the legs or feet, and difficulty standing or walking.
“Mercy has lower back pain that worsens with activity,” explains AMHF. “She also is not able to walk well and is often carried around by her mother.” In addition, Mercy has developed at a much slower rate than her twin or other children her age, making simple tasks very challenging.
The effects of tethered cord have “greatly stunted Mercy’s growth and even means that she does not feed properly,” AMHF continues. “If not treated, she may develop scoliosis and/or kyphosis. She will also continue experiencing pain.”
Mercy’s mother, who works as a casual laborer, barely makes enough money to provide sufficient food for her family. She cannot afford to pay for medical care or even a wheelchair for Mercy. “With five children to look after, it is becoming impossible to look after Mercy and to provide an income for the family at the same time,” shares Mercy’s mother. “I fear for her and for my whole family.”
For $1,165, Mercy will undergo surgery to detach her spinal cord from the surrounding tissues. Funding also covers the costs of five days of hospital care—including labs, imaging, and medicine—and three days of physical therapy.
With treatment, “Mercy can be saved from the pain she is undergoing,” says AMHF. “She will be able to walk and develop like a normal child.”