Wow~it has been several days since the last post.  Believe me we have not been sitting around in the Caribbean sun taking a break 🙂  We have had lots of sick kids and adults with us.  It takes several hours out of our day just to give meds and make sure that everyone is doing fair.   Many kids on IV’s and feeding tubes.  Several with fevers and bad infections.  It makes our already long days longer.  I want to share so much on the blog, but time does not let me most days.  Balancing between the work and family is hard.  When you are the closest health care facility around for several hours for many people it is hard to turn them away and say you are tired or busy.  But in seeing them I miss time with the kids.  I am always searching for the right thing to do and feeling like I have always let someone down.  It easy to think I will spend an hours with the kids playing a game and then have a ill person come in that has walked or been carried on a bed for several hours and try to explain that I need to spend time with my family.  I try to think how I would feel if that was me out there on the bed sick, and the person that could help me was to busy.  Things to ponder and think over.  Tough decisions.

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BENDY

Bendy came to the clinic in June with kwashiorkor.  His mother said she did not want to leave him in the RC.  The nurses gave her education on what foods to feed him and we gave her powdered milk and protein.  He was the same in July.  His mother still did not want to leave him.  We did not see him in Aug and this month he came back.  He was in very bad shape.  His aunt brought him.  The family was very upset with the mother because she did not want to leave Bendy for extended care.  They asked us to please keep him.  He lived for 6 days and then died.  He was 16 months old and weighted 11 1/2 pounds.

We kept him in the office for a few days.

WILSON

Wilson’s mom left him on the porch of the dad house last week.  He is a very young dad, he did not know what to do.  His mom, Wilson’s grandma, is dead and the father could not find anyone to help him care for the baby while he worked.  As always a story has two sides, we have not heard from the mother yet but expect that she might come to see if  Wilson is here.  He is 2 months old and weighs 12 pounds.

WIDELINE

Wideline’s mom had 7 children.  Four of those are alive and three have died.  Wideline was born and mom was fine.  After 8 days she began having seizures.  The family did not try and seek medical help.  She died the next day.  A uncle brought Wideline down to the clinic, while the father prepared for the burial of his wife. She is 12 days old and weighs 6 pounds 8 ounces.

MAUDELENE

Maudlene is 2 years old and weighs 20 pounds. She has four siblings at home.  This is her 2nd time with kwashiorkor.  Her mom believes that her kwashiorkor can be fixed in a few days.  A few weeks ago her mom took her to a “doctor” by their house.  He gave her something to drink that made her pee a lot.  Her swelling went down quickly.  In three days the swelling was back, she was worse, and more swollen.  We talked about how she felt.  The nurses then explained what kwashiorkor is and why what foods Maudelene eat are important, not a medication, or a quick fix.  Just food.  She did not believe us.  It will take several months for her to regain her strength and be healthy again.  Each time her mama visits we will talk to her about what we are feeding her and how that will help her to stay healthy in the future. Maudelene is currently on the medika mamba program.

MONISE

Monise is 4 years old and weighs 23 pounds.  She has been sick for about 1 month now.  Her mom and aunt brought her to the clinic.  She has 2 other siblings at home and this is her 2nd time with kwashiorkor.  Monise has been following in the clinic since she was 15 months old and has been malnourished since her first visit.  Her parents were given appointments to return each month for check-ups.  She came a few times each year but never followed up with return appointments through the clinic. The months and years of always being malnourished has caught up with her.  Monise is currently on the medika mamba program.

KESLINE

Kesline has been swollen with kwashiorkor for 15 days.  This is her first visit to the clinic.  She has 4 other siblings at home.  She is 20 months old and weighs 25 pounds.  Most likely about 5 to 6 of those pounds are water from the kwashiorkor.  She is currently on the medika mamba program.

We have seen this from time to time on kids feet and hands.  Little pieces of string tied around their ankles and wrist.  I always ask the parents what this is for.  Kesline mom told me it was to stop the swelling in her body.

It seems with each parent of a malnourished child we struggle to help them to see that it is just food they need.  It always seems be be blamed on something other than this.  So  much time is spent one on one with the parents and our nurses to educate them about malnutrition and what food are good for their kids. I often tell the parents that I am not going to give their child any medications at all.  Just feed and they will recover. They laugh at me.  🙂  They just cannot believe that it is that simple.

NERNEL

Nernel has been with us for 8 months now.  He is a hard case and has become increasing worse in the past few weeks.  He is our office buddy for this week.  We are watching him close and trying to decide the best action to take for him.

He has no desire to eat or drink anything but water. The last few days he has asked us over and over for a little drink of water.  Today he is worse and has  not really woke up at all.  We continue to give him nutrition through his feeding tube.  He needs a special touch from Jesus to make it and live.  I really want him to live.    Would you please say a special prayer for him today?

ANELIE

Anelie came into the clinic in great distress.  This picture of her cannot explain how bad she really was.  In medical terms: presumed post-partum cardiomyopathy.  I do not think I have every seen someone as swollen as Anelie.  She looked like she was about 8 months pregnant and her legs were so huge.  She could not walk and could hardly stand.  When I looked at the person who brought her I saw it was the dad of a child that I admitted into the RC a few days back.    He was the father to Sendi, a little baby and told us that Sendi’s mom had died.  But  to make a long story short she is Sendi mom.

She could not go anywhere that night so we made a place for her.   She left puddles of water every place she went.  Water was just leaking out of her everywhere.  Her leg now has a really bad area that opened up and is going to take awhile to heal.

She is doing better now and has lost 51 pounds of fluid!  WOW!  I am not a medical person but know she would not have lived for very much longer with out medical help.

Baby Sendi

WOODLEY

Woodley had a huge abcess in his leg.  Dr Jen drained it and it produced…um..a lot of puss.  He has a drain in and is getting IV meds several times a day.  He is such a sweet boy and such a joy to have with us.  He has several more weeks of meds before he can return home.

We want to thank each of you that continue to pray for us, the staff, the critical care kids, the clinic patients, the community of Cazale, and many other needs that happened around here.  It means so much to us.  Many days I get very discouraged. Your love and encouraging comments and emails help so much.  God is so good and has been blessing RHFH each and every day.  We cannot thank Him enough for all that He is doing in Cazale and Haiti.