Chifundo's case has been archived

Problems have the tendency to be like snowballs, as time rolls on, they get bigger and sometimes more complex. Two-year-old Chifundo Masauko’s recent past has been the perfect example of this. What started as a little bit of swelling in his right leg near his hip, turned out to be a chronic bone infection, and now his legs are two different lengths.

When Chifundo’s leg began swelling, he was taken to their local hospital to find out what was happening, as the little boy was in notable pain as well. The doctors told his family that he had chronic osteomyelitis and would need an operation to clear the infection. They did the operation and it was rather successful, but since his disease is chronic it was bound to come back, which it has. He now needs another operation to clean out the infection which is why he is coming to CURE. Unfortunately, though, the infection has caused more damage, as it is affecting the way his right leg is growing and has stunted the growth. There isn’t much that can be done about that right now, however.

CURE will handle the chronic osteomyelitis for now. We’ll clean him up and hope the infection doesn’t come back. Maybe someday we will be able to help him with his uneven legs so he can walk better, but taking care of the pain that the infection is causing is going to at least get him back on those little feet!