The human body has its physical characteristics. And sometimes, they appear at birth. This was the case of Joao, this baby who was born with abundant hair and who created a buzz on social networks.
More recently, in Belgium, this is the case of little Lewis who intrigues the doctors and who, inevitably, mobilizes the energy of his entire family. The baby was in fact born on December 11 with a small physical peculiarity.
“The ultrasound revealed no problems and the pregnancy went well,” says her mother, Tatiana (26). “But during delivery, it turned out that Lewis had abnormalities in his hands and feet. »
“My mother, who was giving birth, suddenly said that he had a deformed hand,” continues the young mother. “I started crying after that. When I looked at his other hand, I saw that this hand also had an abnormality. And the nurse said his feet also had abnormalities. »
After months of research, doctors finally discovered the reason behind these abnormalities. “There was an error in his genes,” continues Tatiana. “In the TP63 gene to be precise. His fingers are too short or clustered on both hands and he has one too many toes on both feet. Lewis also has a fracture between his third and fourth toes. Further tests are underway to see if there are any other abnormalities. » According to a specialist, contacted by our colleagues from Laatste Nieuws, the case of Lewis only occurs once every 100,000 births.
“Between 1,000 and 2,000 euros”
So far, the toddler has already undergone an operation on his hands and has been wearing a cast for six weeks. He still has to undergo 5 more operations on his hands and feet. Faced with the staggering costs of these operations, the family decided to launch crowdfunding.
“An operation would cost between 1,000 and 2,000 euros,” concludes Tatiana to HLN. “And hospitalization insurance only reimburses part because it is something congenital. The health insurance fund contributes part of this amount, but we have to cover most of it ourselves. My boyfriend, with whom I have been in a relationship for almost seven years, and I are both employed. We cannot pay all these costs ourselves. I have set the amount we hope to raise at 7,000 euros, but as soon as I receive an invoice I will be able to adjust it. »
