Windsor woman teams with aid agency to fund surgery for Romanian baby

In a Romanian village near the Hungarian border, close to a city called Oradea, a baby boy named Timothy was born with a cleft palate and a deformed mouth. His parents can't afford the surgeries he needs, and some Windsorites are stepping in.

"I think it's such an important thing that children all over the world get the help that they need," said Jane Michaud from Windsor, whose husband is the chairman of the board of directors at Eurovangelism.

This Toronto-based aid agency has been around for 40 years helping underprivileged people in eastern Europe.

Timothy, who was born eight weeks ago, has his first surgery scheduled for July 15 in Italy. His parents make about $700 Cdn a month, but need $5,000 for the first surgery.

They brought their baby to an orphanage for help a few weeks ago and a nurse there who works with the aid agency got a hold of executive director Kevin Campbell in Toronto.

"And we hope to raise money to help him have his surgery," said Campbell.

Campbell and Michaud have started a GoFundMe page and are taking donations for the first of three surgeries Timothy needs.

"Being in eastern Europe and especially Romania, a child like that is marginalized," said Campbell.

He said the child will need two more surgeries over the course of a year, so Campbell is hoping to raise an additional $10,000.

"Right now I've been talking to people I know. It's just word-of-mouth," said Michaud. "A lot of the time it's people who have very little here that have been so generous."