Mimi:
I would like you to meet this little angel; her name
is Esmeralda but we call her Mimi.
Mimi is two years old and arrived at Gabriel house last Tuesday with
her young parents; she is their first and only child. Mimi has hydrocephalus
(water on the brain) and has cerebral palsy. Her head is about twice
the size that it should be due to excess cerebral spinal fluid that
her body over produces. This causes extreme head pain and a myriad
of other symptoms. We also believe she is blind due to the pressure
caused by the fluid on her brain. The lesion on her lip is caused
by her biting her lip when she has seizures which are frequent.
Mimi is small, underdeveloped and extremely malnourished due to her
lack of appetite, also a symptom of pressure on the brain.
We want to get Mimi to surgery as soon as possible to relieve the pressure on her brain and give her a cerebral shunt. The shunt will alleviate the water on her brain. She could also regain her eyesight or at least part of it, reduce the number of seizures she has and the head pain. Life could improve greatly for this precious little one.
Mimi's father works in a junk yard for a few dollars a day and her mother has been at home mom trying to care for Mimi. They cannot afford all the care and medical needs that Mimi has so they are allowing her to be cared for at Gabriel House.
We have done our homework and located a neurosurgeon and a hospital that will donate their time and space for Mimi's surgery. The last obstacle to overcome is the cost of a brain shunt; it will cost about $2,000.00.
If anyone would like to donate toward Mimi's shunt, please make checks payable to Mexican Medical and put "Mimi's shunt, Gabriel House" in big letters on a card in the envelope with the check to designate the funds for Mimi’s surgery. There is also a PayPal option on our website, Please make it very clear that it is for Gabriel House and Mimi's shunt.
In the mean while, pray for Mimi and her family. Pray that the shunt will alleviate her symptoms and that she can live a happy and pain free life.