This Adorable Maltese Boy Proves How Vital Organ Donors Are
Four-year-old Henry Mamo has already had nine operations, but more are lined up for the weeks to come. He was born with a kidney disease and a rare genetic defect called Prune Belly Syndrome which only affects 1 in 40,000 births.
At the end of May, Henry and his family are scheduled to return to London for his 10th surgery, a kidney transplant. Dangerously approaching the last stages of renal failure, Henry was extremely lucky to have found a matching donor… his father.
“Donated organs really can save lives,” said his mother Lorinda. “Four years ago, I wouldn’t have given it much thought and I might have not even considered it as an option. Illness and accidents can affect anyone of us at any time, and the only thing that has consoled me over these years is extracting and sharing a little bit of good from the darkness.”
Lorinda realises how lucky her family was in having her husband be a match to her son in the search for a new kidney for Henry. “Had my husband not been a suitable donor, he would have gone on a waiting list and most probably required dialysis. That would’ve meant us having to move to the UK. I know there are lot of children on waiting lists for a kidney in the UK, and it breaks my heart.”
“Donated organs really can save lives”
“Organ donation has only recently been something that people are aware of, but I am looking for ways to stress on the importance of it,” Lorinda continued. She had to endure health issues of her own when she was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago. “My husband had it especially bad. To not know what’s going to happen to both your wife and you son… ”
Henry and his parents are just one of the hundreds of families who have been helped by the Puttinu Cares Foundation. With the help of Xarabank, Puttinu Cares raised €1,320,194 on Good Friday.
In 2012, Lorinda started A Bird With A French Fry, which she calls “a place to share happy things, cool stuff for babies and kids, creative ideas, design and the joys of parenthood. It’s a place for me to write about all my experiences in motherhood, along with a dash of lifestyle and design.” Henry regularly features in her posts, where his extremely positive attitude and friendly nature shines ever so bright.
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