Help Baby Gabriel Get Treatment

Ever heard of a miracle baby? Well, you're looking at one. But let's back up a little bit...

I am Tari Odumo, a Nigerian young lady,  but most importantly, (single) mother to a 22-month-old baby named Gabriel. He's been diagnosed with hemimegalencephaly, a rare genetic brain disorder whose cause remains unknown. What this means is that he has struggled with intractable seizures, also known as infantile spasms, that have almost paralyzed him! From what began as two seizure episodes per day, he now experiences 15-30 episodes per day. These have ensured that Gabriel has not reached his developmental milestones. I have not had the privilege, that most mothers have, of watching my son sit, crawl, or stand. He also has no head control and cannot process what he sees or hears due to the level of brain damage he has endured.

Is all hopeless? Not at all. There is a corrective brain surgery known as hemispherectomy (a delicate surgery aimed at disconnecting the parts of the brain that cause the seizures) which can  be performed on Gabriel. Feel free to Google it as well; it's wonderful! The seizures are the main problem as they destroy a child's ability to function and develop. After the surgery, Gabriel would have to go through a rehabilitation program or post-surgery care. It would be like physiotherapy to help precious Gabriel learn to start using all his limbs, gain speech, and develop cognition as well.

Because such a surgical procedure isn't offered in my native country of Nigeria, I had to look for an alternate (and still cheaper!) option. A hospital in Argentina graciously agreed to intervene and carry out the surgery on Gabriel at a low cost! In fact, the help they offer is to do Gabriel's surgery for free, but we'd need to pay for his post-surgery care, medicine, travel, lodging and board. We would also be responsible for the one-year rehabilitation program costs. 

And this is where I need your help. As a single mother, I have no way of coming up with the money for it all by myself. I am also eager to give Gabriel a chance that every child needs: the chance to live a normal life. Could you help? Any amount towards our goal would be a blessing!

We are looking at $10,000 for the trip (airfare, lodging, board, and Gabriel's medications), and $20,000 for the post-surgery care and one-year rehabilitation program.

The travel date has been scheduled for the first (1st) week of February 2017. There is also a greater sense of urgency as we need to begin the process of obtaining visas and flight tickets, and making hotel reservations for the trip.

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Want to know more about Gabriel? Read on below...


Baby Gabriel was born on the 20th of February, 2015 in Nigeria and was very weak at birth.  From the second day, he started having seizures! Being a first-time mom, I freaked out about it and often begged God  to help my son. For 7 days we remained at the hospital and after being discharged, we went home. There I found that the seizures resurfaced so this time, I took Gabriel to another children's hospital (Oasis Children Hospital), seeking a second opinion. There he was admitted and treated for brain meningitis, malaria, and seizure control. At Oasis, the doctors noticed that Gabriel's head was rapidly increasing in size, so they requested for an ultrasound of his skull, and it revealed intracranial pressure.

My little infant was thereafter transferred to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (aka UPTH) for further examination and treatment. At UPTH, the neurosurgeons attended to him and an MRI scan was done on him which showed that he had hemimegalencephaly with associated non-communicating hydrocephalus. The condition was apparently worse on the left side of his brain. I was distraught! I immediately wanted to know what could be done to help Gabriel but was informed that our only option was to manage the seizures and provide support to the baby through physiotherapy. I was absolutely heartbroken and devasted. I wondered how in the world this could be happening to me...

I prayed and did all I physically could, and yet his situation seemed to be worsening! With every day, my son's head grew in size while his body became increasingly inactive. He was non-communicative, had sunsetting eyes (Google this too!) and was experiencing an increase in the number of seizures he endured. I would helplessly watch my son go comatose each time. I have no words to help convey how awful that is for any parent to see of their baby.

We became regulars at the hospital because Gabriel was always ill. I eventually had to resign from work to look after my son. In the early stages, my family tried to help out but the stresses of the situation, and the seeming endlessless of it, took its toll on them. In the end, I had no one to turn to.

I certainly felt hopeless until I found out about The Hemispherecomy Foundation,  comprising parents with similar challenges. Before that time, I'd thought that Gabriel was the only one in the world with hemimegalencephaly, based on the rarity of the disease. Stumbling onto info about this foundation, I started to again feel something I hadn't felt since his birth: hope. 
It was this foundation that connected me to the hospital in Argentina, and, after two months of follow-up, the hospital agreed to intervene in Gabriel's situation.

My greatest desire is to have Gabriel live the life he was born to live. When he is on his feet, growing at the appropriate pace set for him, I too will be freed to get a job and fend for both him and myself. For this reason, I ask for your help. Please consider helping us, in whatever capacity you're able, to raise funds for Gabriel that will give him a shot, a chance, at a normal life.

Every child needs a chance. 

Please help Gabriel get his life back.

Attached to this story (see below) are all the documents necessary to verify the authenticity of my request.

To donate, click the DONATE NOW button above (for folks outside of Nigeria). Also, please share this and spread the word (click on "Share on Facebook)!

Donations from Nigeria can be made to:
ODUMO KING GABRIEL
Acct No: 0232083401
GTBank

Gabriel's Medical Diagnoses (above and below)

     Thank you, thank you, thank you, with all my heart!