Children's Surgery International

Three-year-old Eddie was near death just a year ago. His mother showed no care or regard for him, and it became clear to neighbors Emmanuel and Evelyn that Eddie would soon die in her care. As orphanage directors, they recognized the signs of an underweight child on the edge of collapse, and they took action.

They offered to take him into their home and nursed him for months until he regained weight. Now little Eddie calls them Mama and Papi. ORR was even able to arrange for surgery to correct his umbilical hernia this year through our friends at Children's Surgery International.

Umbilical hernias are very common in Liberia. Everywhere you go you see the signature belly protrusion. It is something I had never seen or really even heard of before I came here. It isn’t clear why there are so many, but for some reason weak abdominal muscles seem to be common in this region of the world. Often the hernia is merely a cosmetic problem, but in some cases, it can be very painful and, rarely, life threatening. The kids usually don’t mind them until they are older.

Last month I told you about the opportunity three boys had to receive hernia repair surgeries, free of charge from Children’s Surgery International. Jeremiah, Fumbeh and Joshua all live in different orphanages, so they do not get to see each other. They spent three days together in the hospital and really hit it off. Apparently, bonding happens quickly when you are having surgery and eating chocolate pudding together. Every time I have visited their respective homes, I have been bombarded with questions about their new friends.

Last Tuesday Jeremiah, Joshua, and Fumbeh received life-changing hernia repair surgeries, thanks to the amazing team of surgeons and medical staff from Children’s Surgery International (CSI). The CSI team was here for one week and performed hundreds of facial, hernia, and burn surgeries. And they did it all for free!