Bensot is a 10-year-old boy who lives with his grandmother, brother, and sister. For the past nine years, his grandmother has been their primary caregiver after their mother left and never returned. Their father had tuberculosis and is unable to work or care for the children. The family survives through farming, relying on their grandmother’s daily labor to provide food and stability. This is often sporadic and unreliable, especially as she is aging.
When Bensot was younger, he struggled with severe malnutrition. His grandmother brought him to our nutrition center, where he received treatment and support until he regained strength and was able to return home.
Some years later, Bensot began having seizures. Since then, he has come to the clinic monthly for medication and follow-up care. These visits have helped keep his condition stable and have become an important routine for him and his grandmother. As his grandmother is aging, she is having a harder time managing life and their care, often forgetting to give him his medication at the right times. She is gone for long times during the day trying to food. His mental state and comprehension is poor. He’s never been to school and his grandmother has been unable to teach him even basic skills. As he is growing older and stronger, she is finding it harder to control him and impossible to discipline him.
Recently, Bensot injured his arm while playing. His grandmother tied up his arm with a handkerchief and hoped for the best. She couldn’t deal with this emergency and seemed to be in denial anything was wrong. When coming to the clinic for his regular appointment, his grandmother reluctantly showed us his arm and told us what happened, but didn’t remember when it happened. She couldn’t provide an explanation as to why she didn’t seek care before now. An X-ray confirmed a fracture that was several weeks old. Before the operation can take place, doctors need him to remain seizure-free for two weeks. During this time, our team closely monitored his condition and provided daily care. It took us months to find the right combination of meds to stop his seizures. By then, the bone had healed and the surgery and recovery seemed too risky and complicated.
Bensot’s story shows us the complexities of life here – aging caregivers, lack of finances, risks with limited healthcare, chronic illness, difficult family dynamics, developmental delays, lack of family support – yet doing what we can with what we have and supporting others the best we can. Bensot went home with his broken arm poorly healed (but not painful), controlled seizure condition, and improved behavior from the consistency of loving discipline and guidance from our staff. During the grandmother’s respite, she was able to do more for the other children and herself. She welcomed him back home, happy to see his seizures and behavior improved.
The importance of ongoing medical follow-up in these types of difficult situations doesn’t scare us away. Though not ideal, this is real life here. We remain committed to supporting Bensot and his family as he continues to grow. Please pray with us that he stays healthy and the grandmother finds support through others to plan for the children’s futures and care for herself.