Hello everyone, I'm from Mozambique in Africa, my name is Mauro Bata and I have two sons, Kayine, who is 7 years old, and Kenai, who is 2. At the end of 2024, my older son started having epileptic seizures; he has a kind of tremor lasting 5 to 10 seconds. We went to the doctor and discovered it was epilepsy. We then started medication that controlled the seizures for almost a year. Now, in November, the seizures have returned. The doctor increased the dosage of what he was already taking, which is sodium valproate, and added levetiracetam, but even so, it didn't control them. She thought it best to do some tests: an MRI and an EEG. We received the results, and the brain images showed alterations. He has mesial temporal sclerosis on the right and focal parietal cortical dysplasia on the left, hence the reason the medication is no longer having the desired effect. My son's epilepsy is drug-resistant. For us (my wife and I), it was as if the ground collapsed beneath us. Investigating, we discovered that there are possible solutions involving brain surgery. Naturally, this isn't possible in Mozambique as it's a poor country, lacking the technology and skilled technicians for this level of procedure. The cheapest option is to go to India; the most expensive hospital we found in our research quoted us 18,000 USD. However, there's a possibility that during preliminary examinations, it might be discovered that the altered brain areas cannot be safely removed, making the treatment even more expensive at 35,000 USD, as a device would need to be implanted to regulate electrical activity. According to the hospitals, this device is what makes the treatment more expensive. What I can promise with absolute certainty is that I will donate any money I don't need to someone else. The truth is, my wife and I need all the help we can get. These treatment costs are a huge challenge, especially in this country. 

And just one more thing, only God knows how much it hurts me to share images of my son. I feel like I'm exposing him, but I'm leaving a link to a Google Drive folder with medical reports on my boy's condition and a short video of his seizures. The reports are in Portuguese; we are a Portuguese-speaking country. There's also the treatment plan proposed by two hospitals in India. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Jg_8qSveOZsQCqr9LGELD_e0q-Bk073Y

Well, that's my story. I tried to summarize it. If anyone has any questions, you can contact me on WhatsApp +258825713623 or send an email. In Mozambique, we speak Portuguese, but I try to speak a little English too, lol.