Six-year-old Elias lives with his mother and younger sibling in their home in Tanzania, where he enjoys playing with his friends and with his wooden cars.
“Elias’s right [leg] started bowing inwards when he was 18 months old,” our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us. As a result, Elias experiences knee pain and difficulty walking.
Elias’s condition—commonly known as knock knees—is typically part of the normal growth and development of the legs and resolves on its own by age seven or eight. However, in some children, underlying bone disease prevents straightening of one or both legs and contributes to strain of the involved knee joints.
“Elias has not yet started school because he is unable to walk the long distance to the school,” AMHF continues. “If not treated, Elias will be at risk of developing osteoarthritis at an early age.”
Treatment for Elias is a surgical procedure known as an osteotomy. Doctors will remove a wedge of bone from his upper leg and attach pins, a rod, or a metal plate and screws to close the gap and straighten the leg.
Elias’s mother is a widow who sells vegetables and firewood to earn money to support herself and her two children, but her income is not sufficient to pay for the surgery that Elias needs.
For $940, Elias will undergo surgery and also receive three pre- and post-surgical consultations, three days of hospital care, physiotherapy, medicine, and a three-month-stay at The Plaster House for recovery and rehabilitation.
“I hope my son will be able to walk properly so that he can start going to school, and later on, have a good career and live a successful, independent life,” shares Elias’s mother.