Patrick is a six-year-old child living in Uganda with his parents and four siblings. Both of his parents are farm laborers, working for other farmers. They are currently only able to afford education for one of their children. Patrick enjoys playing with the other children in their village, riding local wooden bikes and building houses out of mud and sticks.
Recently, Patrick started having frequent fevers, fatigue, and diarrhea. After one week, Patrick’s mother took him to the local hospital for further evaluation, where he was then diagnosed with severe malaria. Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa transmitted through the Anopheles mosquito. In the process of replicating inside the host human’s liver, the body exhibits dramatic acute symptoms. Left untreated, these symptoms can be fatal.
With the severity of Patrick’s malaria, he requires urgent treatment of intravenous antimalarial drugs and constant monitoring of his vital signs. For $130, he can receive the treatment he needs to recover from his disease. The total cost covers the procedure, necessary medications and diagnostic testing, and three days of inpatient care. His family has so far paid $3 towards his treatment.
“It is a miracle that I can get this support,” shares Patrick’s mother. “May God bless all the donors. I hope my child gets better and can go to school. I also want to teach all my children to work hard and help their family.”