Finding the Brightest Possible Future

Life for January Tarmo and his mother, Elizabeth, would have been challenging in any country in any socio-economic condition. But living in extreme poverty in rural Tanzania with a birth defect like spina bifida made life nearly impossible.

With January unable to walk or talk, we knew we had to help Elizabeth provide her son with everything he needed to have the best life possible with his condition. TCF’s Special Surgery Fund, which devotes thousands of dollars each year to providing children in our community with life-saving medical intervention, helped January get a shunt to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid from his brain into his abdomen and relieve the pressure in his head. We also funded his physical rehab and provided a wheelchair for him to make day-to-day life just a little bit easier for him and his mother. Going forward, Elizabeth will have access to timely and intensive care to give January everything he needs to live a long and comfortable life.

While life for January will always have its challenges, his hopeful story embodies the very core of our mission: to give every child and family the opportunities they need to have the brightest possible future.