Mary – Philippines
March 11, 2010 by Sue Blackwood
Age: 4 years
Diagnosis: Nasoethmoidal meningocoele
Home: Philippines
Mary Joy is an example of the struggle some families go through to both make ends meet and to meet treatment needs. She is the youngest of four children. Her mother lives in a Middle Eastern country, where she works as a maid to support the family. The father, meanwhile, has given up his job and travelled 250 miles to Manila to find help for his daughter.
Mary Joy underwent corrective surgery twice previously through a charity mission, including one to shunt fluid buildup in her brain. The procedures performed did not correct the encephalocele – a condition in which a sac of brain tissue protrudes through a congenital hole in the skull – or her appearance. In July 2009, Mary Joy at last got the surgery needed at the WCF partner craniofacial center, The Smile Train Craniofacial Center, Philippines General Hospital. The WCF assisted with lodging, meal, and transportation expenses for Mary Joy and her father. Her smile communicates her happiness over her new appearance and new face.
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