When Chris first arrived at CURE Uganda, he was barely a month old and already slipping into danger. His head had begun to grow unusually fast, one of the first signs of post-infectious hydrocephalus. For many parents, this moment is a storm of fear, confusion, and impossibly hard decisions. For Irene, Chris’s mother, it was exactly that.
The clinical team moved quickly. They stabilized him with a temporary drainage device to ease the pressure on his brain. Weeks later, when it was safe, Chris needed a permanent shunt. Nothing about Chris’s situation was straightforward, and every step required a team that understood the fragile margins of infants like him.
But healing, especially for children needing neurosurgery, is rarely a straight road.
Chris later returned to CURE Uganda with a swelling near his shunt. The team discovered a dural defect, a small tear in the membrane around the brain that allowed fluid to collect where it shouldn’t. On paper, it seems minor; in reality, for a child his age, it was the kind of complication that can escalate fast. Irene had struggled to come back earlier due to the cost of the trip, but once she reached the hospital, the surgeons stepped in immediately. They cleaned the area, repaired the defect, and monitored Chris closely in the ICU until he was safely out of danger.
Then, slowly, small miracles began to unfold.
Chris fed better. His swelling eased. His eyes started tracking more steadily. Irene noticed the tiny wins first—the “everyday improvements” that only a parent pays attention to. And as the days passed, those small signs added up to something steady and hopeful.
Eventually, Chris was strong enough to go home.
This is what long-term neurosurgical care looks like – not a single event, but a commitment to walk with a child through every turn, every revision, every complication, every recovery.
And that commitment is the same for every child who enters CURE Uganda’s gates.
Whether it’s a newborn with hydrocephalus, a toddler with spina bifida, or an older child with a brain tumor, CURE Uganda’s care is unwavering. No one receives “more” or “less” attention. Every child gets the same deliberate decision-making, the same surgical excellence, the same compassion, and the same determination to see them through the entire journey, not just the first visit.
Every child matters. Every detail matters. And every family is met with the same steady, dignified care—no shortcuts, no second-tier treatment, no exceptions.
That is the work CURE shows up for every single day.
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About the CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda
CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda has been a place of hope since opening its doors in 2001. It is one of Africa’s leading pediatric hospitals for brain surgery and the treatment of neurological conditions. Our teaching hospital has an 18-bed Intensive Care Unit and 59 ward beds, three operating rooms, and an outpatient clinic. In addition to world-class medical care, our team ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of our patients and their communities.
