Yigermal is a nine-year-old boy from Ethiopia. He is the only child of his father. His parents are separated and his mother lives elsewhere. Yigermal lives with his father and grandmother in Merto Lemariam, Ethiopia. Yigermal’s father had to sell his land to cover medical expenses when he became ill. Due to health complications, he is not currently working. The father underwent kidney surgery two years ago.
Yigermal was born with a congenital anomaly called bladder exstrophy, where the bladder is abnormally open from the front abdomen. His bladder is exposed to air, causing him to leak urine directly onto his abdomen. As a result, he suffers from pain, discomfort, infections, and other troubling symptoms. He cannot even go to school as other children would tease him. Yigermal couldn’t get surgery for a long time because his father did not have the money to take him to referral hospitals in the city.
Yigermal needs a Mainz Pouch procedure, which involves diverting his urine to the anal opening and creating a pouch bladder from the bowel. He is scheduled for this bladder surgery on June 25th. Our medical partner African Mission Healthcare is requesting $1,500 to cover his medical costs. Yigermal’s family needs your help.
Yigermal’s dad said, “I hope that he will get the surgery and heal. I will teach him if he heals. I will do labor work and raise him.”