Baby Manqoba still needs your help

BABY Manqoba Mabhena who was diagnosed with a condition called biliary atresia and is in need of US $43 000 to undergo a liver transplant in India still needs your help fellow Zimbabweans.

You have done it before fellow Zimbabweans, through this very same platform, several appeals have been made and you have answered the call.

I believe you can still do it again and give nine-month baby Manqoba a new lease of life.

The transplant has to be done within a month to save her life as the liver can stop functioning at any time.

Baby Manqoba is daughter to Shamiso Yikoniko. I therefore appeal to you once again, to help us to help one of our own.

According to Shamiso, she was diagnosed when she was five months old but surgeons could not perform any corrective surgery because the liver was showing signs of significant damage, leaving the only option being a liver transplant.

"The sad story is that her liver can fail to function any time from now. I'm appealing to anyone who can help me contribute towards giving my daughter a new lease of life. No contribution is too little to save Manqoba.

"She has swollen abdomen, weight loss, itching, muscle loss, loss of appetite, easy bruising, low energy and weakness, among an array of symptoms most of the times and the pain is so unbearable for my little angel. I wish I could wave a wand to instantly heal her tiny body or take her place to free her from the discomfort," said Shamiso.

The condition is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts that occurs in infants, with symptoms of the disease appearing about two to eight weeks after birth. Cells within the liver produce liquid called bile.

Bile helps to digest fat.

"She has yellow eyes because of the condition. The doctors explained to me that biliary atresia is life-threatening if uncorrected."

According to health experts, biliary atresia is a relatively rare disease that begins in early infancy and affects one in every 10 000 to 20 000 infants.

However, the cause of biliary atresia is not known, it is not contagious, and it is not believed to be related to genetics.

In biliary atresia, the bile duct that leads from the liver to the intestine becomes damaged preventing bile from leaving the liver. In the early stages the bile duct outside the liver is mainly affected, but in later stages bile ducts inside the liver are also damaged.

This can lead to build up of bile in the liver which can be harmful to the liver.

To give baby Manqoba a new lease of life, get in touch with Shamiso on +263772935224 or deposit any amount to the banking details below:

Name: Shamiso Yikoniko
Bank: FBC Bank
Branch: FBC Centre
Account Number: 3070070770125