Tuvia Bezaleel Chiwo, is undergoing a challenging time in his very young life. He is having trouble breathing, and gets very tired doing what babies do because of a heart condition.
He was born presumably healthy in July 2018 (according to prenatal and post-natal tests) but doctors noticed some troubling changes in him during a routine January 2019 pediatric visit. His head was swollen and they suspected he may be developing hydrocephalus, which is fluid in the brain.
Further testing also indicated that he has AVSD, a complex heart defect, that causes oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood to mix up, thereby sending excess blood to the lungs and everywhere else it does not need to go.
The only treatment for AVSD is surgery.
The first pediatric cardiologist wrote off Tuvia’s case as a very risky medical endeavor, which she wouldn’t dare proceed with to surgery. She was only willing to provide symptomatic treatment. A second opinion has given us a better prospect. The second doctor has referred Tuvia to India for specialized treatment at MIOT Hospital in Chennai because his case requires a facility with expertise on management of complex congenital heart defects, which is not available in Kenya.
We tried getting financial sponsorship to take the baby to the U.S., where his paternal grandmother lives part time, for treatment, but we’ve been unsuccessful.
Doctors in India, have however said that they can perform the surgery(ries) needed. Therefore, the baby will head to India for open heart surgery as soon as possible.
We’ve had fundraisers going, both in Kenya and in the U.S. to help us get him the surgery he needs, which is required to be paid up beforehand and is estimated at Kshs 2 million ($23,000).
As people familiar with Africa and most of Asia know, facilities will not discharge a patient before all bills are paid, so in this case, they would hold the baby hostage until every cent owed is paid, while simultaneously increasing costs. Additionally, procedures tend to run more than the original estimate.
We hope that you can help us hit our target so the baby and his parents can be allowed to head back to Kenya after treatment.
If you’re a believer in God, you know that God has a great plan for all of us. And we believe this is the case for baby Tuvia. We believe that he was born for a reason, and as such, he has been dedicated to God from the beginning of his life. The baby’s first name, Tuvia, is of Hebrew origin meaning “God is good”. His middle names are also meaningful for believers. Bezaleel, in the Bible, was the chief artisan of the Tabernacle and was in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant and Chiwo means “gift” in the Luo dialect/tribe of Kenya.
We believe that God will work in fellow believers and well wishers who can help us get the baby to treatment.
We appreciate all donations. No amount is too little. Please help us get baby Tuvia on the road to being well.
