Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
These images show the adorable two-year-old Argentinian girl with a rare birth defect that leaves her abdominal organs exposed and means she cannot use the toilet like a normal baby.
The two-year-old girl Celeste Romero lives with her two parents and her brother in a small house in the municipality of Phillips in the city of Medoza in the province with the same name in western Argentina.
The toddler suffers cloacal exstrophy, a severe and rare birth defect which affects much of the abdominal organs including her bladder, intestines, vagina and anus.
The head of the charity association ‘Merendero de Maria Silvia’ Mari Myano reported the case on Facebook and wrote: “She needs to have reconstructive surgery of the pelvis, hip, vagina and anus. She is underweight so she needs the milk of Ensure and Polper B12 (brands).”
Moyano added: “She also needs XXL nappies and gauzes, disposable gloves, hypoallergenic tape and little waste bags, since she can not go to the toilet like a normal baby, they are expensive and her mum does not have a job.”
According to Moyano, the girl lives with her family in a poor house that does not have the basic facilities and they do not receive any help.
Cloacal exstrophy is a rare birth defect, present in one in every 400,000 live births.
It is a severe birth defect wherein much of the abdominal organs are exposed.
It often causes the splitting of the bladder, genitalia, and the anus.
Moyano also said on Facebook: “The family situation is complex, they do not have a job. The house does not have the conditions to bring up Celeste and her brother, she could easily get infected. They do not receive any help.”
The Secretary of the local Office for Social Development Jessica Bayardi told local media: “We take all the children that we have with important pathologies from the municipality to the hospital so they do not have to wait for a bus or a taxi.”
The family have posted the following bank account on Facebook asking for donations for the little girl: Banco Nacion, bank account number (4380912739), CBU: 01104381-30043809127397).
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