Ms Rachel Pays Full $5,000 Target for Filipino Baby Born With Rare Birth Defect After Mother's Threads Plea

The page had drawn one $5 gift in 15 days, but the boy is now home from hospital and his checkups continue

Ms Rachel donation, Ms Rachel Filipino baby, omphalocele — Daisy's son needed specialist medical care at first, and his family later signed a written promise to pay what was still owed Realistroot / CC0

Ms Rachel, the children's YouTube star, said she paid the Filipino family's full $5,000 (£3,770) appeal. The boy has an omphalocele, a rare birth defect that leaves organs outside his belly. His mother had only asked her to share the fundraiser on Threads.

The GoGetFunding page now stands at $5,065 (£3,819). The money will pay for his surgery, doctors' fees, and theatre costs, his family says. He is home from hospital now, but he still goes for scans and checkups, his mother says on the page. Ms Rachel's gift met the target in one go.

How One Song Reached Ms Rachel

Daisy, the baby's mother, posted a clip of her older boy singing Ms Rachel's song 'I Love a Rainbow'. In the post, she asked the star to share the fundraiser for his little brother. Ms Rachel answered that she had already paid: 'I donated the full amount.' Her reply also wished the baby a quick recovery. The chart below shows how her gift changed the family's total in a single day.

Before 3 October, the family's appeal had held a single $5 (£3.77) donation for 15 days. Ms Rachel's money landed alongside $35 (£26.39) from another donor, and $25 (£18.85) more followed on Wednesday. Four donors have given so far. Daisy writes that she is asking strangers for help with the bill a second time. She says the cost grew far higher than the family ever imagined. She also offers to show the hospital bills to anyone who asks.

What Omphalocele Means for a Newborn

Omphalocele is a defect in the wall of the belly, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. A baby's intestines, liver, or other organs sit outside the body in a thin sac at the belly button. Heart problems and other birth defects often come with the condition, the agency adds. About 1 in 3,704 US babies has omphalocele, and large cases can need surgery in stages.

Daisy's son needed medical care from birth and stayed in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the appeal says. His family later signed a promissory note, a written pledge to pay. The page says the family later signed a promissory note for the NICU bill. In her fundraising story, written before Ms Rachel's donation, Daisy warns that 'our journey is not over yet.' A NICU treats newborns who are sick or born too early.

Ms Rachel's Wider Giving and What Comes Next

Rachel Griffin Accurso, who plays Ms Rachel, runs a YouTube channel for young children that she and her husband, Aron Accurso, started in 2019. She has also spoken up for children in Gaza, a stance that has drawn criticism from pro-Israel groups and conservative commentators, the Philippine news site Radar reported.

Daisy's latest update, posted on Monday 5 October, said her son had just had an ultrasound of his kidneys, ureters, and bladder as part of his follow-up care. She asked supporters to keep him in their prayers while the family awaits results. As of Wednesday 7 October, the GoGetFunding page had posted no later news about his health or his next treatment.