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Fidel, the only son of 27-year-old single mother Florence Akinyi, lives with his mother in Kisumu Ndogo, Nairobi. They both live in subhuman conditions, without water or electricity. Their monthly income amounts to the equivalent of just over €40.
But that’s not all…
Fidel was diagnosed (somewhat belatedly) in August 2012 with Down’s syndrome, also known as trisomy 21. People with trisomy 21, a chromosomal division disorder, display typical physical characteristics: the most obvious are a flat face with slanted eyes and a skin fold at the inner corner of the eye. Muscle weakness is particularly noticeable in babies. In 40–60 per cent of cases, people with Down’s syndrome have heart defects; in 10 per cent, they have intestinal abnormalities. Due to the condition’s impact on the functioning of the immune system, upper respiratory tract infections and middle ear infections are common, which in some cases lead to deafness. Thyroid dysfunction and visual impairments also occur. Unfortunately, there is also an increased risk of developing leukaemia.
Little Fidel also suffers from recurrent pneumonia and bronchitis. In addition, a paediatric cardiologist must rule out a heart defect.
During a prolonged hospital stay, his severe pneumonia was successfully treated. Unfortunately, no definitive diagnosis could be made regarding a possible heart defect; read for yourself what our nurse Dotty has to say about this:
Fidel had the above conditions and had been seen by a paediatric cardiologist on several occasions, but eventually his mother moved further inland due to socio-economic challenges. Attempts to arrange follow-up appointments were unsuccessful, so we classified him as ‘lost to follow-up’.
Thanks,
Dottie
We hope that Fidel does not develop heart disease. Should we re-establish contact with his mother, Tulisa will once again look after Fidel.