At only 21 months old, Fred has had a difficult childhood so far. He was born with hip dysplasia, which fortunately got better with treatment. Then at only ten days old, he caught the VSR virus and was hospitalised for eight days but fought hard and recovered.
He was also born with strabismus and blocked tear ducts, which constantly cause rashes around his eyes, especially if he has a cold. He doesn’t sleep well, always waking up with his eyes closed and dry from the rashes. He needs two operations: first, to fix the problem with his tear ducts and then to sort out the strabismus.
He has been on a waiting list at the public hospital in Portimão since September 2022, but nothing has been done. His father, João Carapinha, explains, “There is no movement on the waiting list whatsoever.”
That is why both he and Fred’s mother, Patrícia Lage, decided to take matters into their own hands and start a Gofundme page to see if they could carry out Fred’s operations at CUF in Lisbon. To cover all costs they will need 8,000€.
They are asking for help to give little Fred the happy, healthy life he deserves and are grateful for any contributions.
