Patrick OMeara collecte des fonds
Help get Debby to the USA for surgery
SUMMARY:
Our Debby was born with severe scoliosis and congenital spinal cord deformation. When she came to us, she was 2 years old, and her prospects of being able to walk seemed slim. Before Debby turned three, we were able to get her an initial surgery here in Kenya that allowed her to walk upright. For several years, she flourished and continued to grow. More recently, her growth has faltered, and her frame has not grown as much as her internal organs. Her spine has again become tethered, causing her intense pain, reduced lower body strength, and leading to neurological issues.
For the last 18 months, we have been searching up and down Kenya to secure the care Debby needs, even as her lower body pain has increased. She is losing sensation in her left leg, and it has grown increasingly difficult for her to breathe. We are told that the severity of her spine deformity is such that her heart and lungs may soon be unable to keep up with her body. She desperately requires at least two additional surgeries to address her spine, and spinal cord problems, which we have been warned are unavailable in Kenya.
We are in the final stages of approval with a major missionary hospital in the USA, where she will have the specialists she requires for the surgery and the post-surgery care necessary to help her during recovery. The missionary hospital program is considering catering for all in-patient and surgery-related costs; however, we have been informed that we must fund all outpatient expenses as her Sponsor and accompany her for the expected 1-year multi-surgery and recovery process. We need generous help with these unfathomable costs, as we are already struggling with monthly operational expenses for our Children's Home.
Debby is a beautiful and intelligent 14-year-old who desires a long and healthy future life. Please help us find a way to get her to the USA for the surgery she so desperately needs.
Horace & Phyllis Leister
Tumaini Children’s Home
Eldoret, Kenya
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FULL BACKGROUND:
Debby was born with severe scoliosis from diastematomyelia on August 4, 2008; her spine formed an S shape. Her biological family abandoned her at the Hospital, and we later met Debby when she had reached ~2 years old. By then, Debby could only crawl crab-style with one leg extended and experienced a lot of pain. She spoke Kiswahili very well and learned English quickly.
In December 2009, she became part of our growing family at Tumaini Children’s home. By March 2010, we were able to secure surgery for her at a children’s hospital here in Kenya to have her spine de-tethered (a procedure that allowed her to grow normally, without common side effects of a tethered spine, such as stunted growth, incontinence, severe muscle weakness, lower limb pain, and neurological issues). The surgery helped with the pain, enabling her to learn to walk upright with therapy and enjoy life like the other children at our home. These were happy times for Debby.
After turning 10, Debby’s body slowed its vertical growth to a very slow pace and, in some months, stopped completely while her internal organs continued to grow. With no room for her growing organs, this has created a variety of complications, such as difficulty breathing, lower limb numbness and weakness, and general pain. She has also recently suffered neurological decline and is losing sensation in her left leg. Sitting has become very uncomfortable, and both standing and sleep can also be very difficult.
As soon as Debby's new difficulties presented, we started taking Debby to back specialists and eventually to missionary surgeons here in Kenya. After months of consultations, she has been refused by four major hospitals here in Kenya for the repeat spinal detethering and the reconstructive surgery she requires to correct her spine deformity and lift her body off her vital organs to prevent cardiopulmonary compromise. None are equipped to handle the specialty anesthesia treatment she will need for the duration of the detethering surgery, none are currently capable of surgical correction of a spine deformity of her magnitude, and they have warned us that the post-surgery care here is insufficient.
Amazingly, we are in the final stages of approval with a major non-profit hospital in the USA, where she will have the specialists she requires for the surgery and the post-surgery care necessary to help her during recovery. If approved, the missionary program would cater for all in-patient and surgery-related costs; however, we have been informed that we must fund all outpatient expenses as her Sponsor. We have estimated a total need approaching $120,000 for the below expenses and have thus far only managed to raise $18,000. With monthly operational costs at the home of ~$8,000 for 43 kids (aged 1-16), this figure is beyond our wildest imagination. But with God’s will & your support, we know Debby will get the help she needs.
Be blessed.
NOTE:
All funds will be directed to our USA entity: Family Keys International. Their support is exclusively for religious, educational, and charitable purposes pursuant to section 501.c.3 of the IRS code, and may be tax deductible. We train and send missionaries. We establish and support work at orphanages, children's homes, and programs for the care of abandoned children. Funds associated with this fundraiser will be earmarked for helping Debby’s get the care she desperately needs.
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