At least Dh62,000 is needed to cover surgery and outstanding hospital bill
- By Janice Ponce de Leon, Staff Reporter
- Published: 20:03 November 4, 2013
- Image Credit: Abdel-Krim Kallouche/Gulf News
- Five-week-old Lance has hydrocephalus and needs to undergo a shunt operation.
Dubai: Filipino couple Jason and Maria Lahay-Lahay would do anything to have their six-week-old son Lance operated on to stop his head from growing bigger due to hydrocephalus or ‘water on the brain.’ But they simply don’t have the money.
Maria, 28, gave birth to Lance prematurely on September 26 at Latifa Hospital. According to his medical report, Lance was diagnosed with moderate hydrocephalus with trigone of the lateral ventricle, in other words an abnormal condition where fluid accumulates in the back part of the brain.
Hydrocephalus is one of the most common birth defects and affects one out of every 500 births annually according to the US-based National Hydrocephalus Foundation. If left untreated, infants with hydrocephalus can develop significant brain damage, delayed development, blindness and ultimately death.
In Lance’s case, he was born with a head circumference of 35cm, 4cm larger than the average head circumference of premature newborns. His head continues to grow, however, with the latest measurement of 39.85cm on Monday.
“Unlike babies his age, he’s not able to move his head, maybe because it’s too heavy for him,” Maria told Gulf News. “His face is becoming deformed as well. You can see his eyes are starting to bulge.”
Jason, who works as a machine operator in Jebel Ali and is the sole breadwinner of the family, added: “Seeing your child struggle is hard for any parent. I just wish I could take his suffering away and he’d be spared.”
The couple is struggling to get by with Jason’s monthly salary of Dh3,000. Maria, who lost her secretarial job when her company closed down in August, has dedicated her time to caring for Lance.
The couple needs at least Dh59,000 to pay for Lance’s outstanding medical bill at Latifa Hospital. Additionally, at least Dh3,000 is needed for Lance’s shunt operation at Rashid Hospital. A shunt is a tube and valve system that is surgically implanted inside the brain to drain and divert the excess fluid to another part of the body.
Gulf News earlier tried to connect the couple with a foundation in the Philippines that operates on children with hydrocephalus for free. But the foundation said they only treat indigent patients residing in the country.
On Monday, Maria said Latifa Hospital’s social welfare department had offered them advice on where to seek financial help, but as yet there are no updates.
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