Eh Lel is a lively six-year-old girl who lives with her parents, sister, paternal grandparents, three aunts, and uncle. She plans to attend kindergarten next year. She likes to play with her friends and watch movies on television. Her father is a subsistence farmer who works his own rice paddy. The family also tends to a vegetable plot and sells betel leaves and nuts.
When Eh Lel was two months old, her mother noticed a spot on her lower spine. A bulge developed, and she began to experience pain. After a visit to a nearby hospital was unsuccessful, they relied on traditional medicines to alleviate her pain. Finally, she was referred to our medical partner’s hospital.
Eh Lel was diagnosed with spinal dysphrasism, a neurological condition affecting the spinal cord. Her physician informed the family that without treatment, her condition would only worsen as she grew. In November, she underwent an MRI, which revealed a cyst lesion on her spine. On December 1, she underwent surgery to remove the growth.
Eh Lel’s family borrowed money to pay for transportation to our medical partner’s hospital. They need help to fund this $1,500 procedure.
“I want my daughter to go to school for an education,” says her father, “and grow up to be whatever she wishes.”