I will be running a marathon in Santa Cruz, California, on the 17th of May to raise money for Latitude for Life Foundation so that they can continue to support a super brave little boy named, Loc, a baby living in an orphanage in Vietnam. Loc is terminally ill with inoperable hydrocephalus and has developed severe pressure sores on his head.

My aim for this marathon is to have as many people as possible donate $20 (or more!) towards Loc’s care. If 300 people donate $20 we will have reached our goal and Loc will be able to continue receiving the best medical care to ensure the rest of his life can be lived without pain and suffering.

Just $20 will make a huge difference in this little boy’s life!


LOCS STORY

At 5 months old, when Loc arrived at the orphanage, his hydrocephalus was severe and the circumference of his head was growing rapidly. Sadly, treatment was no longer an option for him as the pressure, caused by fluid accumulating in his skull, had already caused damage to his brain, and surgery was such high risk that no doctors were willing to operate.

As Loc’s head continued to grow, so did the weight of his head, which caused the development of a number of pressure sores to open up on the sides and back of his head. The open wounds became very deep, very big and very painful. The local nurses did their best to treat the sores with the resources that were available to them, however, the sores kept getting worse and more wounds were opening, causing Loc to be in constant pain and discomfort.

Latitude for Life Foundation is an Australian NGO who strives to improve the quality of life for children living in an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, who have complex medical, developmental and physical needs. They began working with the local medical team who were treating Loc and together with two members from their board, a wound care expert from Australia, and a Registered Nurse from New Zealand, they set about developing a wound management plan to help Loc’s wounds heal. So far there has been incredible progress in beginning to heal Loc’s wounds, however, to be able to continue providing the best treatment for Loc we need your help!

MEDICAL CARE PROVIDED TO-DATE

So far, with funding support from Build Aid and Aid Reaching Children UK, Latitude for Life Foundation has been able to provide Loc with:

- Specialised dressings for his wound care. These dressings are expensive but necessary to heal the severe pressure sores. This is the most important part of successfully healing Locs wounds.

- Regular pain medication

- High calorie and protein formula

This treatment has made a huge difference to Loc’s quality of life. Latitude for Life Foundation explains to us:

“As Loc’s wounds are beginning to heal, we have seen his pain reduce and he seems to be feeling more at peace with the world. Providing medical care is only one part of how we help Loc. We have learnt that he enjoys having his back massaged. We know he likes listening to music. While his vision is significantly impaired, his eyes flick up when he hears one of our voices. Even in such heartbreak, there can be moments of happiness, and most recently, Loc has learnt to smile!

Loc has been faced with some overwhelming challenges throughout his life, but despite that, he continues to keep fighting, so, as long as Loc wants to keep fighting, we will be by his side fighting with him and when he lets us know that he is ready to let go, we will be there to support him on that journey too. We cannot provide Loc with an opportunity which will save his life, but we will do everything we can to make sure that each day counts, and he is known and loved.”

HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE 

Loc is one child among many that is living with a terminal illness. Hospice and palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life, rather than cure for those with a terminal illness. The goal of hospice is to enable you to have an alert, pain-free life and to live each day as fully as possible.

This is a relatively new concept in Vietnam. We hope that through modelling and practicing this type of care, we will be able to pave the way for this model of practice to be carried out throughout Vietnam in the future.

APPEAL

Please help us reach our goal so that Loc can continue to receive the medical treatment and care which he so desperately needs to live a comfortable and cherished life. We believe that every life is a gift, and every child is valuable, no matter how long they are with us.
We wou ld love to invite you to be a part of this journey and help us provide the best possible care for this special little boy, Loc.

You can help us write a different story for him!

www.latitudeforlifefoundation.com  
www.facebook.com/latitudeforlifefoundation