Parent Of Girl With Swollen Head Plead For More Money To Fund Her Treatment

The parents of a baby girl who suffers from a rare condition that caused her head to swell to nearly double its size have pleaded for more money to fund her treatment.

Roona Begum, aged 18 months, suffers from hydrocephalus, a build up of fluid inside the skull. Surgeons at the private hospital run by the Fortis Healthcare group, offered to treat Roona for free after pictures emerged of her living with the condition in a village in rural state of Tripura.

She underwent surgery last month, but her parents - whose daily income is just £2 a day - are struggling to foot the shortfall left by a string of complex procedures. 

 

So far the treatment needed to save the toddler is estimated to have cost between £33,000 and £36,000 - around 30 times initial predictions which placed the cost at just £1,120. 

 

Currently Fatima and Abdul Begum are between £11,000 and £13,000 short - with aftercare costs set to send the bill spiralling. 

 

Global donations through MyGoodAct's website www.roonabegum.org have topped £23,000, leaving Roona's desperate parents fearful for her future if they don't receive more financial help.

Her mother Fatima, 24, who lives with husband Abdul, 26, said: 'To all those who have helped Roona, thank you. 'She is already showing signs of happiness, and we can finally smile again. 'But she needs more surgery to make her look right and we need to care for her future. We have no way of paying.'

Roona faces months of reconstructive surgery to mould her disfigured skull back into shape.

And she could still be left brain damaged or blind because of the swelling - which will increase the mammoth medical bill.

Illiterate bricklayer Abdul added: 'With just one person working it is not possible to sustain the family and a child who needs treatment. My earnings are too low. 'But we are very happy with the response we have got from people around the world and are hoping for the same in the future.'

Doctors have already said that the youngster is lucky to be alive, with most sufferers of the condition not surviving beyond a year old.

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