Children in the Philippines who live in extreme poverty lack access to quality healthcare. They are often denied assistance and are unable to afford necessities to improve their quality of life.
Angel David is 9 months old and lives with his parents in the Philippines. Angel David was born with a frontonasal encephalocele (an encephalocele is a neural tube defect characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain and the membranes that cover it through openings in the skull). He also has hydrocephalus.
Angel David urgently needs surgery. Unfortunately, his family cannot afford the cost of his surgery alone and has reached out to us for help.
His case is complicated and needs to be done in three steps. The first surgery will be to place a shunt to drain the fluid that is building up. The second surgery will be to repair the opening in the front of his skull. The final surgery will be to close up the opening completely and remove the outer part of the encephalocele.Can you help us raise the funds needed for the first of Angel David's three surgeries?
Update 8/2/2021
Last week, (after surgery), they were expected to be discharged, but a problem came up.
Pneumonia came back because David doesn't know how to swallow, so it went to his lungs. His throat was also sore. Doctors said that it was possible he needed to undergo a tracheostomy.
(A tracheostomy is an opening in the front of the neck that's made during an emergency procedure or a planned surgery. It makes an airway for people who are not breathing on their own, cannot breathe well, or have a blockage that is affecting their breathing.)
Instead, doctors decided to intubate him.
(Intubation is a procedure that's used when you can't breathe on your own. Your doctor puts a tube down your throat and into your windpipe to make it easier to get air into and out of your lungs. A machine called a ventilator pumps in air with extra oxygen.)
He is currently in the PICU.
His mother tells us: "Thank you so much. Without you, i wouldn't know what to do. I'm sorry."
Since he is not being discharged, his medical bills are growing and we need your help. We have increased our goal to $27,000.
This has been a medically complicated case, and we are committed to helping Angel David receive the best medical care. Please help Angel David.
Update 7/28/2021
David had surgery last week. His mother made this video at the ICU. He is currently in the ICU.
"Good evening Maya's Hope. Baby is in the ICU. The operation was yesterday and it was good. The doctor said that the baby needs to be observed and if baby can make it without the tube, it'll be taken out on Saturday. The mass is small now. Thank you so much Maya's Hope. God bless."
Update 7/21/2021
Thank you to all of our donors, we are so grateful for your support. David's case has been medically complicated and he has required multiple hospitalizations. It is for this reason, we have had to increase our fundraiser to $18,000. He is scheduled to have surgery, but the doctors are also advising that he will require PICU admission post-op.
We thank you for your continued support.
Update 7/8/2021
Hi all! We have had some delays with this surgery. During the first admission at the hospital, David had pneumonia and he received treatment for pneumonia. He improved and is now admitted for surgery but seemed like the travel was too much for him.
He currently has difficulty breathing so he was moved to PICU.
I will share some videos here with you all. We were hoping that surgery would have happened sooner, but we have to make sure that the child clears for surgery.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We will be posting some videos here to keep you updated.
Angel David is 9 months old and lives with his parents in the Philippines. Angel David was born with a frontonasal encephalocele (an encephalocele is a neural tube defect characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain and the membranes that cover it through openings in the skull). He also has hydrocephalus.
Angel David urgently needs surgery. Unfortunately, his family cannot afford the cost of his surgery alone and has reached out to us for help.
His case is complicated and needs to be done in three steps. The first surgery will be to place a shunt to drain the fluid that is building up. The second surgery will be to repair the opening in the front of his skull. The final surgery will be to close up the opening completely and remove the outer part of the encephalocele.
Can you help us raise the funds needed for the first of Angel David's three surgeries?
Maya's Hope celebrates 10 years of giving hope to children in need. Maya's Hope is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit based in New York City.