Back in 2015, Virtue Oboro had the worst experience; at only 48 hours old, her newborn baby, a son, had to be rushed into the hospital for urgent treatment.
The baby named Tombra was diagnosed with jaundice, a common health issue that happens more than 60 percent of newborns globally.
Though many cases are mild and go away on their own, the more severe cases require kids to be treated with phototherapy. For this, the baby is put under blue light.
It’s an effective and simple method; however, in places like Oboro’s home country, Nigeria, access to these methods isn’t always a possibility.
Unfortunately, when proper treatment isn’t given, it can cause irreversible health issues like vision impairments, loss of hearing, brain damage, and even cerebral palsy.
In rarer cases, untreated jaundice can also cause death.
Tombra’s Case Was Severe, but He Made It
Baby Tombra’s case was serious, but there were no available phototherapy treatments and the family had to wait four hours for a unit while the baby’s condition declined.
Eventually, he had to receive an emergency blood transfusion. This risky surgery bought the time needed until the unit became available.
According to Oboro, she had to purchase the bulb and because of the power outages, the unit was off for several hours during the treatment that lasted for seven days.
Luckily, Tombra, who’s a healthy six-year-old today, recovered fully. Oboro says this was a traumatic experience that inspired her to make a change in her career.
Oboro Had a New Mission in Life: Saving Babies from Jaundice
Oboro was inspired and had a new mission: save babies from jaundice. To do so, she created the Crib A’Glow. This is a portable, inexpensive, and solar-powered unit for phototherapy that uses blue LED lights.
She said that she felt like some of the things she and her family went through could’ve been prevented or at least the stress could’ve been lower. She made the crib after realizing there’s a need for something to decrease the pain for both the babies and mothers.
Jaundice is a disease that’s a result of a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. This compound is a product of the breakdown of red blood cells. It’s something the liver removes, but since newborns’ livers aren’t properly developed to do it effectively, they develop jaundice.
Oboro founded a company in 2016, Tiny Hearts, after Tombra recovered, and started working on the crib. Her husband helped her out with the solar energy and she also collaborated with a pediatrician to ensure the device is safe.
The blue light eases the breakdown of bilirubin.
Sadly, power outages and non-functioning equipment are a common occurrence in Nigeria, according to Hippolite Amadi, professor of bioengineering at Imperial College in London who specializes in neonatal medicine and had worked in Nigeria’s neonatal centers for more than two decades.
The parents there have to travel long distances to reach a hospital and not every hospital has the needed units and specialists.
Crib A’Glow Is not as Expensive as Other Phototherapy Units
The phototherapy units in Nigeria cost around $2000 which is a very high amount for hospitals that are on a budget. On the other hand, the Crib A’Glow is made with local materials and there are no hidden costs like import tax.
Moreover, as it’s a portable, solar-powered unit, it can also be used in remote places where access to electricity is low or inconsistent.
Sources: