Michael's Story

We were recently contacted regarding a 7 month old in Uganda with severe CHD. The family has known since February that their baby needed surgery, but haven’t been able to find money for surgery and were not able to find help with local organizations. We immediately sent emails and messages to teams at National Children’s and Uganda Heart Institute and asked for more information. We were told that surgery could be done in Uganda. UHI charges $5000, however it is expected that there will be additional charges for ICU stay etc. and we have been told to expect about $7000.

The baby returned to the hospital to get a new echo and the family was told that the baby needed surgery urgently if he had any chance. After returning home, the baby became very sick and has been admitted to a hospital in Eastern Uganda, at a hospital that is not capable of caring for a baby with CHD, with a diagnosis of pneumonia. If he survives this admission he can no longer delay surgery. 

The family gave me permission to tell you about their son to try and raise money for surgery. Nicholas and Winnie are a young couple whose first child, Michael, is 7 months old. Though they knew something was wrong, the only place that could accurately diagnose Michael was in Kampala, a trip that is costly and takes six hours. They returned home after two days devastated by the news. They were told they would need $15,000, this is incorrect, but this was even more devastating. Nicholas does have a steady job, but pay is very low and there are no additional resources for Michael to receive surgery. 

Michael has a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) which is correctable with surgery. Nicholas and Winnie have raised $1000. We have agreed to partner with them and raise $5000, leaving them with $2000 for surgery. 

We are urgently trying to raise $5000. Amazingly we have a match donor willing to match up to $2500. There are multiple ways to help Michael. You can click the donate button below or use QR code below for Venmo. We are still setting up a secure way for IN Uganda donations-please DM or email lynsay@upasuajiafrica.org if in UG for details.