Baby Ishmael Needs Your Help for Life-Saving Surgery

5-month-old baby Ishmael Villamil is in need of your help so that he can undergo a life-saving surgery. Born prematurely at just 28 weeks on September 11, 2024, baby Ishmael weighed only 2 pounds, 2 ounces.

His early birth caused complications, including underdeveloped lungs and hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid builds up in the brain, leading to pressure and potential brain damage. In November 2024, baby Ishmael underwent surgery to place a shunt to drain the fluid building in his brain.

Today, baby Ishmael turned exactly 5 months, and his parents, Jennifer Larios and Eusebio Villamil, are once again in a very difficult position. Jennifer told us that only one month after the first surgery, baby Ishmael’s head started growing again. She said, “I sent a video to the doctor that did the surgery on him, and he told me to bring in the baby.”

She added that after the doctor’s assessment, it was revealed that the “shunt isn’t working anymore. They also realised that my son has a complication with his lungs, once again.”

Doctors have given Ishmael less than a year to live, but Jennifer and Alberto have chosen to fight for their precious baby. “He’s 5 months, and he’s so tiny for his age, but we see him fighting so much that we had like four doctors holding him down just to find an IV,” Jennifer said.

“The doctors, they realised how strong he is and how he wants to fight,” she added. “If he doesn’t want to give up, why should we—why should I as a mom give up on him?”

Jennifer and Eusebio are now trying to raise $12,000 for a second surgery that could give baby Ishmael a fighting chance. This time around, the surgery would be to fix the shunt “and place it the way to where it belongs so it can function the way it should,” Jennifer added.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep him here with us,” she said.

Anyone who would like to help baby Ishmael can make donations to the following bank accounts:

Belize Bank, Eusebio Alberto Villamil, account number: 255 502 010 160000

Belize Bank, Jennifer Lizeth Larios, account number 246 491 010 160000

Ishmael’s mother can be contacted directly at 630-4946.