Currently under the instructions and guidance of a hand therapist we are doing physical hand therapy by stretching his wrists and fingers. At 6 months he needs to get splints which will also help with the stretching in preparation for surgery at 9 months. They will do what they call hand centralization which is surgery to straighten the club hand. Surgery will be performed on one hand at 9 months and then the other at 12 months. Thereafter at possibly 18 months they will do a tendon transfer. This procedure is called pollicization in which they move the index finger to make it a thumb as thumbs are vital for grip.
Baby Nathan needs a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) softband. Early intervention with a sound processor can be vital for efficient language development and speech acquisition for children with a hearing loss. The BAHA Softband allows for young children who are too young to have a BAHA implant to still benefit from a BAHA sound processor and gain more possibilities for a lifetime of better hearing.
For the hearing loss, Baby Nathan had a CT scan and an Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test which reflected that the middle ear and the cochlear were fine. These are the components which aid in hearing. However he has a narrow canal which is why sound is unable to travel from the outer ear (ear drum) to the middle ear.
An ultrasound scan showed that everything was okay but picked up that his right kidney was missing. The good thing is that his left kidney is fine and it will be able to function perfectly without the other one.
Fanconi’s anaemia – upon conducting a full blood count (FBC) test they found out that all blood levels were normal. His blood levels like Natasha (his sister) may start depleting when he is between 5 and 7 years old. This is when the Fanconi’s anaemia will need intervention in the form of a bone marrow transplant.
Cafe au Lait spots are related to skin pigmentation but are not an issue at this point
Apart from the various tests, consultations and reviews with specialist doctors, and travel to SA, Nathan requires physiotherapy and speech therapy sessions with qualified personnel locally. We are still to find these.
The costs associated with all the above have weighed in on us heavily and the prospect of getting more costs is stressful as we know we do not have the financial capacity to get Nathan all the help that he needs. We hope that through prayer and medical attention, Nate will get a chance to live a normal life and do the things any normal person can if not more. We are grateful that you have agreed once again to come together as a support team for fundraising activities and more importantly for emotional support which you continuously render to us.
At the moment we need £30,000 for the various costs involved which include among other costs, his hearing aid, travel, tests, hospitalisation, medication, therapies and splints.
Additional funds will be required for the multiple hand surgeries but we will only get the quotations after the splints as they will only have clear indication of what needs to be done then. Subsequently we need to raise funds for a bone marrow transplant BUT for now we need the £30,000 immediately.
With God all things are possible, and we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. We did it once, we can do it again with God on our side. Thank you once again, may God bless you #teamNathan
Feel free to send money via Ecocash on +263 772 432 689. If you are abroad you can use worldremit.
Thank you and we appreciate your support.
