DAWENS

Dawens came to the clinic because he was sick.  On the way here he got worse and was having lots of diar and vomiting.  He tested positive for cholera but was also needing IV antibiotic meds due to other illnesses that he had. He stayed with us here in the clinic for about 1 week.  He is doing well now and has recovered and gone home. PTL!

GERLIE

Gerlie is 4 years old and weighs 18 pounds.  She has 4 other siblings that are living at home with her parents.  She is very weak and sleeps most of the time.  (currently on the medika mamba program)

GERLINA

Gerlina came to our clinic when she was 6 months old.  She weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces at that time.  Her mom died when she was 4 months old of a fever.  Her dad wanted to try and take care of her at his house so we gave him infant formula and supplies to care for her. He really loves her.  We told him to return each month for more supplies and a check-up in the clinic.  We had not seen him for about 5 months, but this past week he came back.  He has been trying to pay off his bills from the cost of burial for his wife and did not have any money to travel down to see us.  Gerlina is now almost 12 months old and still weighs 8 pounds 6 ounces.  It was a really hard decision for her father to leave her here because he has lost two other children and Gerlina is all he has left.  The little peanut can stand up when holding onto something. She still weighs 8lbs 6oz which mean she still has a long way to go to get caught up.  (currently on the medika mamba program)

JN RONY

Jn Rony was 16 days old and weighed 5 pounds when he came to the clinic.  He had been having diar for several days, was dehydrated, and also had a fever.  His mama was having a few problems getting him to breastfeed as well.  He stayed with us for treatment and we worked with the mom to get him feeding well.  He returned home last week.

KERWENS

Kerwens came to the clinic with a 104 fever, coughing, and was just not feeling well at all.  He stayed with us for 7 days to receive IV meds and to monitor his progress and keep his fevers in check.  He is doing well now and is back home with his family.

NAIKA

Naika is 17 months old and weighs 19 pounds.  She had been swollen and suffering from kwashiorkor since the beginning of August when her mom brought her to the clinic.  Her mom did not want to leave her in the RC at that time.  Naika got progressive worse during the month of August gaining a total of 3 pounds in “water weight”.  Her legs were so swollen that there were little holes in them leaking water.  She is eating well now and her swelling has gone all the way down. We are hopeful for a full recovery.  (currently on the medika mamba program)

POUCHENA

Pouchena is 4 years old and weighs 16 pounds.  Her parents are heavily involved in voodoo in the town that they live in.  Her mother has traveled to many different clinics to find help for her daughter.  They have all simply given her vitamins and told her to go home and take care of her daughter.  She wants a medication that can fix her and make her well quick.  There was a major power struggle between the parents on whether to leave the child or not.  In the end she vomited and was not doing well at all and an IV was started so we had to keep her overnight.  The father is 100% sure that this is not a medical problem.  He left some things for her to drink and instructed our nannies to give these “meds” to the child.  Through all the talking and education from the nurses the parents are still not convinced that she has a medical problem.  She stayed with us for 3 days and was doing better.  The father came and took her back home.

RONELSON

Ronelson was in the RC from April 09 thru Oct 2009.  He was 15 pounds in April and went home at 24 pounds.

April 09                                                                         Oct 09

He came back this week. It has been almost a year since we last saw him. He is very swollen with kwashiorkor and still only weighs 25 pounds. His dad told me he brought Ronelson to me so I could have him.  We sat and talked for awhile and he said that he does not want Ronelson at all.  He wants someone elso to have him and raise him.  It might seem easy to just put the child up for adoption, but it is not that easy for me. After futher talking to the father he told me he just wants to be able to see him once a year and make sure he is okay. The father does not really want to give his child up for adoption and he does not want him to die. He has two sons and Ronelson is his oldest son. Ronelson’s mom died in a flood and his other son is with his wife that he has now.  The new wife does not want to care for a child that is not her own.  He also does not want to leave his wife that he has a son with now.  We are working on trying to get him well now and we pray that he lives and then we will try and come up with a plan for Ronelson and his papa to be able to stay together.

BRIANA

Briana was in the RC for over a year.  She came when she was a small baby and stayed until she was almost 2 years old.  She returned home with her grandma.

Fall 10                                                              Spring 11

It has been a few months since then and she came back this week with mild kwashiorkor.  Her grandma loves her a lot, but just does not have food to feed her.  She wants to raise her and care for her, but the very basic need of food is not easy to find for the family.

SENDIE

Sendie’s mom was pregnant with twins and did not know it.  She delivered Sendie and her sister.  After the birth became sick and her legs and feet began to swell up.  She did not go to see a doctor in her area but instead stayed home with the twins because they were both very small.  The smallest one died after 19 days.  Sendie’s mom was very upset and still would not go to the doctor.  She died about a week after her daughter passed away.  Sendie’s father has been searching for about 1 month for someone to help him out with his daughter.  He has been to several orphanages but all want him to sign papers to put her up for adoption and he is not ready to do that.  He did find a few places that would take her in but she would then have to live there until she become an adult.  He could go visit her from time to time.  He did not know what to do or what decision to make.  He is from Port-au-Prince and made a trip out our way last week.  We told him what we could offer as far as care for Sendie.  He was very happy and felt this was a good decision for them both.  She will stay until she is walking and off of infant formula.

Please continue to keep all the 83 kids that we have in our care in your prayers.  There are many that are ready to return home and we are in the process of locating their families to come pick them up.  The bean crop in our area was not very good this year.  Many farmers depend on this crop to feed their families for several months.   The staff at RHFH is worried that we will have an increase of malnourished kids in the next few months due to this bad crop.  The medika mamba program c