Jeremiah is only 2 months old.
He is his parents’ only child, and instead of spending these first precious months simply watching their baby grow, his family is facing something no parent is prepared for.
Jeremiah was born with encephalocele and hydrocephalus.
He has a bulge at the back of his head caused by the encephalocele, while hydrocephalus is causing an abnormal buildup of fluid around his brain. His head circumference has already reached 42 cm.
Jeremiah needs specialized neurosurgical care. His doctors have recommended a combined surgical procedure to treat the hydrocephalus by draining/diverting the excess fluid and to repair the encephalocele at the back of his head.
With hydrocephalus, excess cerebrospinal fluid can build up and increase pressure inside a baby's skull. If that pressure continues, it can place the developing brain at risk.
Timely treatment is important because relieving the excess fluid can help control that pressure and reduce the risk of further complications. Repairing an encephalocele can also protect the exposed or affected tissues and address risks associated with the defect.
For a baby whose brain is developing rapidly, time matters.
Giving him access to the treatment his medical team recommends as soon as possible allows him to receive care before his condition becomes even more difficult or urgent.
We don't want Jeremiah to wait until he is in crisis.
Jeremiah's family sought help remarkably early.
Too often, families in similar situations have little choice but to enter the public healthcare waiting system and hope their child's turn comes quickly. Some wait for months while their baby's condition progresses, and treatment may only come once the situation becomes extremely urgent.
We have an opportunity to choose a different path for Jeremiah.
Rather than waiting for his condition to deteriorate, the family is trying to have his surgeries performed as soon as medically possible at a private clinic.
There is only one obstacle:
They cannot afford it.
Jeremiah's parents should not have to watch their only child wait for essential treatment simply because the cost is beyond their means.
That's where we come in.
No single person has to carry this burden. If enough of us give what we can, together we can help cover Jeremiah's surgery and medical expenses and give his family something they desperately need right now:
A chance to act while there is still time to act early.
Donate. Share. And help us get him to surgery as soon as possible.