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Six month old Patience (pictured) has been suffering from an outgrowth on her sacral part since birth. Doctors at the Neurosurgery Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra have diagnosed the little baby girl with a condition known as hydrocephalus myelomeningocele. Her poor parents need Ghc4,900 in total to remove the outgrowth through surgery. They are appealing to the public to come to aid with any amount they can donate. You can reach little Patience�s parents on 0546862911 What is myelomeningocele? A myelomeningocele (pronounced my-e-lo-MENING-o-seal) is a defect of the backbone (spine) and spinal cord. Before birth, the baby's backbone, spinal cord and the structure they float in (spinal canal) do not form or close normally. A myelomeningocele is the most serious form of spina bifida. In babies with a myelomeningocele, the bones of the spine (vertebrae) don't form properly. This lets a small sac extend through an opening in the spine. The sac is covered with a membrane. It holds cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and tissues that protect the spinal cord (meninges). The sac may also contain portions of the spinal cord and nerves. The sac itself may be opened up either before birth or during the birth. A myelomeningocele can occur anywhere along the spinal cord. It is most common in the lower back (lumbar and sacral areas). Babies lose function below the level of the problem. So, the higher the myelomeningocele is on the baby's back, the more loss of function occurs. Myelomeningocele in Children Myelomeningoceles are present when a baby is born (congenital). About one to five babies in every 1,000 born in the United States have a myelomingocele. The condition develops during the third week of a woman�s pregnancy. Doctors don't know exactly what causes myelomeningoceles. But there probably is a genetic component. If a woman has one child with a myelomeningocele, there is a 3% to 5% chance that other children she has will also have the condition. While we don't know the exact cause of myelomeningoceles, doctors do know what can help prevent them. Early in pregnancy, it is very important for women to get enough folic acid in their diets. This vitamin helps the baby's neural tube develop properly. The neural tube develops into the baby's brain and spinal cord.