Our Little Fighter: Baby Therese Claire

This is the case of my niece, THERESE CLAIRE BAYED, who was born with hydrocephalus and myelomeningocele on July 22, 2017. She was a premature baby, weighing 1.49 kgs. Four days after her birth, she was operated on to correct the defect on her backbone. According to doctors who operated on her, she was the youngest baby to undergo this kind of surgery. The operation was successful. Still, the doctors felt she had a slim chance of walking. However, with continuous rehabilitation and therapy, she might find the strength to walk and grow up as a normal baby.

• Myelomeningocele is a defect of the backbone (spine) and spinal cord. Before birth, the baby's spine, the spinal cord and the spinal canal do not form or close normally. It is the most serious form of spina bifida. Associated problems include poor ability to walk, problems with bladder or bowel control, hydrocephalus, a tethered spinal cord, and latex allergy.
• Hydrocephalus is a condition that occurs when fluid builds up in the skull and causes the brain to swell. The name means “water on the brain.”

While her myelomeningocele condition may have been addressed, her family has to cope with her hydrocephalus. According to Baby Therese’s doctors, she needs to undergo another medical procedure, shunt insertion. In most cases, a shunt is surgically inserted. The shunt is a drainage system made of a long tube with a valve. The valve helps CSF flow at a normal rate and in the right direction. Baby Therese’s doctor inserts one end of the tube in her brain and the other end into her chest or abdominal cavity. Excess fluid then drains from the brain and out the other end of the tube, where it can be more easily absorbed. A shunt implant is typically permanent and has to be monitored regularly.

All these medical procedures to save the precious life of Baby Therese have drained the resources of my sister’s family. Their savings are gone. They have sought help from immediate members of both side of their families, and to ask for more will be too much, considering that they are struggling as the parents of Baby Therese are.

I sincerely beseech for financial support for my niece. She is a lovely child despite her health problems. We, her relatives, wish her to live and grow up as a normal person. Please help us!

I, and Baby Therese’s parents (Nerissa and Tadeo Bayed), will be grateful for any donation and prayers and we will remember your kindness and hospitality for the rest of our lives.

Sincerely,

Imelda Leron-Ortalla

Paypal Account: [email protected]

If PayPal is not accessible to you, kindly send your donations on the following bank accounts:

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK (PNB) Account Name: NERISSA L. BAYED Savings Account No. 108510000766

BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLAND Account Name: TADEO A. BAYED Savings Account No. 3859169472

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess. 5:18a