Ingo's Journey
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Ingo is Karel and Nandi's son. He is four and a half years old. Ingo is a beautiful and bright boy, and Karel and Nandi's only child. They live in Pretoria, South Africa.
When Ingo was born he was a tiny, tiny baby because he arrived too early. (Born at 27 weeks and weighed 2 pounds 2 ounces.) He spent the first 100 days of his life in hospital, and in his first year he was in hospital every month.
But with intense therapy he not only survived, he thrived to become a boy who loves swimming and playing outside.
But in November 2014 Ingo started suffering complications from this early birth. He started having seizures. The first seizure lasted 38 minutes, and he stopped breathing. After treatment for this the number of seizures was about three a month, which could be treated at home. But as time went by it got worse and worse, until the number seizures went up to 150 seizures per hour!
He is being treated with strong medication, but to stop the seizures the only thing South African doctors can do is a very scary and very dangerous brain surgery. Even if Ingo survives this surgery, he will lose the use of his hands.
Nandi and Karel have researched their options, hoping to find an alternative that might give their son the best chance for complete recovery. They found the Family Hope Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA where a team of 38 doctors and specialists will evaluate Ingo and devise a very specific and very intensive treatment plan for him, which would greatly improve his chances of having a normal life.
This GoFundMe account is being set up to make it possible for Karel and Nandi to take their son to Philadelphia to receive the best treatment they can provide for him. They are hoping to get Ingo to the hospital in Philadelphia as soon as possible, and are hoping that they would be able to leave by the end of May 2016.
The money will be used to pay for the family's travel from South Africa to the USA, for their accommodations in Philadelphia, and, most expensively (52% of the budget), medical tests and treatment.
Nandi and Karel hope that when they bring Ingo home, that they can bring with them hope for other families with children with brain damage. Nandi gave an interview on the radio, to explain what they want to do.
When Ingo was born he was a tiny, tiny baby because he arrived too early. (Born at 27 weeks and weighed 2 pounds 2 ounces.) He spent the first 100 days of his life in hospital, and in his first year he was in hospital every month.
But with intense therapy he not only survived, he thrived to become a boy who loves swimming and playing outside.
But in November 2014 Ingo started suffering complications from this early birth. He started having seizures. The first seizure lasted 38 minutes, and he stopped breathing. After treatment for this the number of seizures was about three a month, which could be treated at home. But as time went by it got worse and worse, until the number seizures went up to 150 seizures per hour!
He is being treated with strong medication, but to stop the seizures the only thing South African doctors can do is a very scary and very dangerous brain surgery. Even if Ingo survives this surgery, he will lose the use of his hands.
Nandi and Karel have researched their options, hoping to find an alternative that might give their son the best chance for complete recovery. They found the Family Hope Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA where a team of 38 doctors and specialists will evaluate Ingo and devise a very specific and very intensive treatment plan for him, which would greatly improve his chances of having a normal life.
This GoFundMe account is being set up to make it possible for Karel and Nandi to take their son to Philadelphia to receive the best treatment they can provide for him. They are hoping to get Ingo to the hospital in Philadelphia as soon as possible, and are hoping that they would be able to leave by the end of May 2016.
The money will be used to pay for the family's travel from South Africa to the USA, for their accommodations in Philadelphia, and, most expensively (52% of the budget), medical tests and treatment.
Nandi and Karel hope that when they bring Ingo home, that they can bring with them hope for other families with children with brain damage. Nandi gave an interview on the radio, to explain what they want to do.
Organizer and beneficiary
Niel Malan
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT
Tammy Felt
Beneficiary
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