Mother of a baby born with anorectic malformation and without genitals has appealed for financial aid from well-wishers for the child to undergo an urgent operation to correct the rare medical condition.
Ms Faith Mavindu had her hopes of receiving a bundle of joy dashed when she delivered the baby at a Kitui hospital three weeks ago, only to realise her angel was utterly deformed.
“I was so shocked and saddened to discover that my baby was sexless and could not naturally pass urine and stool,” she told journalists in Kitui town yesterday, adding that its legs were also malformed.
“We did not expect our baby to be born with deformities because my two other children are perfectly normal. Prenatal checkups never revealed the malformation, making me believe my unborn child was okay,” she added teary.
Ms Mavindu, who comes from Kyanika village in Kitui East, said the doctors were forced to perforate the baby’s abdomen to help it eliminate waste and save its life pending the corrective surgery.
She said they were subsequently referred to the Kijabe hospital for the procedure but lamented that her family is indigent and helpless and therefore unable to afford the high cost of surgery and other treatments including x-ray and scan.
The desperate mother said they need at least Sh200,000 to pay for reconstruction of her baby’s anal and genital system structures besides offsetting already outstanding hospital bills.
“My husband is a casual laborer with a meagre income that hardly sustains the family. We have no property to sell so as to raise the cash. I pray the government and well-wishers to help save my baby,” she appealed.
She said they were yet to name the baby because the disorder made it impossible to tell whether it is a boy or a girl.
The family can be reached through 070375265.