10-year-old Hassan came to the hospital in September because he had lost a lot of weight in just a few weeks. The skinny boy only weighed 25 kilos. Typhoid fever appeared to have seriously affected his small intestine, requiring the surgical removal of part of his intestine and him being given a stoma. After that, Hassan was in a difficult limbo. A major recovery operation was too dangerous as long as he was so thin. At the same time, the stoma made it very difficult for Hassan to gain weight, despite the high-calorie supplement. Moreover, the healthcare costs for his father proved to be unaffordable. Since the recent loss of his wife, he has had to care for three children on his own.
At the Masanga hospital, with which we regularly collaborate, there is a surgeon specialized in major abdominal operations, who offered to take care of the follow-up process. An anonymous donor wanted to help us cover the costs here in Lion Heart and those in Masanga. Last week we waved goodbye to Hassan and his father. We are very grateful for the help and sincerely hope to see Hassan safe and sound in Tonkolili.