It was Geraldine’s aunt who first reached out to MEDLIFE. Her niece was still struggling with a rectal prolapse she had endured from the young age of three months old. Upon discovering Geraldine was now hospitalized from the worsening condition, she began to seek help
Geraldine was living with her mother in Piura at the time, approximately 717 miles away from Peru’s capital of Lima. Meanwhile her aunt was desperately searching for a way to bring her sister and niece to Lima, where doctors specializing in gastroenterology would be able to provide quality treatment. The aunt found Carlos Benavides, MEDLIFE’s director of MED Programs in Lima, and urgently arrived to his doorstep. She explained what brought her to his home and Carlos reassured her that he would do everything he could to help improve Geraldine’s circumstances.
Carlos and the MED Programs team got Geraldine a tomography to verify she needed treatment in Lima and assisted with her transfer from Piura. At two years old, Geraldine is currently too young to undergo the surgery and instead, has been completing an alternative treatment for the past three months, which could potentially take up to three years. MEDLIFE is currently assisting Geraldine and her family with the medicine; thankfully she is showing great signs of improvement.
Thanks to our MED Programs team and the continued support from Chapters and donors across the world, MEDLIFE is able to assist those that would otherwise lack access to vital services in health care, education and development.
Geraldine with her mother.