The Church of Christ has covered the cost of surgery for a baby born with special spinal defects known as bifida.

Spina bifida is a birth defect where there is incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. He was also diagnosed of an unusually large head known as hydrocephalus.

The Nadowli and Tarkwa-Tanso branches of the church gave the required amount of GHȻ12,000 needed to correct the defect.

Doctors at the Nadowli Hospital in WA, where the boy was diagnosed with the ailment at birth said, he had just a few days to survive unless medical processes were engaged to correct the defect.

This was after they had performed caesarian on the mother because of the size of the baby’s head. The needed operation is also to drain the fluid from the head. 

Touched by the predicament of the baby and the family, Nadowli- Kaleo Health Director, Phoebe Balangunyetimi, launched a crusade to help the baby live.

Having found a good ally in Joy News,the campaigned started yielding results.

Following Joy News’ report on the subject, Staff of the Wa Small Tax office of GRA mobilised GHÈ»2,280 in personal contributions in the office.

The infant's parents, who are subsistence farmers, still required about GHȻ10,000 for the needed surgery.

Their calls for help were met by the Church of Christ.

Minister Emmanuel Kuunsaang, who made the presentation was full of praise for Joy News and the health directorate.

He said that had it not been for Joy News reportage “we would not have known what was happening. We also thanked the management of the hospital for detaining the child and not allowing the mother to take him away.”

Mother of baby, Agnes, for the first time in many weeks, was full of smiles as the cash donation of GHÈ»12,000 was handed over to her.

''I want to thank brother Emmanuel and Church members for the support. We were just at our wit's end. This morning I had to go for mangoes not riped for breakfast,'' Agnes, mother of the baby said.

“She has not always been Joyful,” recounted the health director. 

''From the initial stages, she was unwilling to breastfeed the child, at a point in time she was resisting and even did not want to touch the child simply because of how family members were looking at the child. I had to counsel the family and the woman, “ the health director added.

The director, Balangunyetimi, was equally grateful to the Church of Christ for the donation adding that, they will immediately kick start processes for the baby to undergo the needed surgery at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.