Meet Stephen, an adorable three-year-old boy from Kenya. Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), shares: “Stephen is the second born child to a single young lady. Stephen’s other sibling is only five years old. Stephen’s mother has no permanent job; she works as a casual laborer cleaning clothes for neighbors. She is therefore unable to meet the hospital bill for this important surgery for her son.”
Stephen was born with bilateral undescended testes, meaning that both of his testicles remain in the inguinal canal and cannot be felt in their usual location. According to AMHF, “If left untreated, the testes will remain high in the body cavity at higher temperatures, which may lead to cancer and infertility. Inguinal hernia is also a risk: rates of occurrence are higher in undescended testes and an incarcerated hernia can be dangerous.”
Most boys born with undescended testes receive surgery before 18 months of age, so now, at three years old, Stephen is at greater risk of future medical complications as a result of his condition—making it even more imperative that he receive treatment soon.
With $495 in funding, Stephen will receive an orchidopexy—a surgical procedure that implants the undescended testes in the scrotum. An incision is made over the inguinal canal and the testes are then brought down.
“My child seems to be growing well physically but I know without this treatment his future life may be affected. I hope this time I will get help so that my child can be well and grow up like other children,” his mother shares.
