It was a short walk to the clinic. The Nuns were waiting for us when we arrived. Dick took Juan out of his new wheelchair carefully and carried him inside. It was a relief for all of us to get out of the heat. I was worried that Juan wasn't taking in enough fluids. I think it's best not have any expectations when you go into situations like this. I tried to stay out of the way and wait for someone to tell me whether or not Juan would stay at the clinic.
I asked permission to take photos as I was walking around the room. It reminded me of orphanages I had heard about and seen photographs of in Europe. It was a relief to see the children physically healthy, and they seemed relatively happy to see us ,while others snoozed.There was one young child who had a noticeable disability. He was blind and had at one point one of the worst cases of cleft palate the Nuns had ever seen. He had been there for several years and his cleft palate was repaired. He bounced around in his crib and threw his cup towards me demanding agua (water). There was a collage of photos on the wall in the hallway that charted his progress since he arrived.
I had a million questions. I wanted to know if his parents were still visiting him; if he was being taught Braille; if he was receiving any tactile stimulation.. If Americans could adopt children from Guatemala then Marquitos would have been at the top of my list if he was an orphan. Unfortunately, Guatemala has suspended international adoptions. Please read here to learn more..
After visiting with the children we sat in the common area. Rita, the Canadian Missionary, played with a young girl who had some hair loss from malnutrition. She was a cutie and soaked up the attention she was getting from Rita.
Juan's mother decided not to leave Juan at the clinic but promised she would return on Monday after she spoke with her husband. As we returned to the seating clinic with Juan we decided to send Juan's mother home with vitamins. I asked the Canadian missionary to take me to a store where I could purchase the food Juan required. After the third try we managed to get their only remaining few packages of a runny oatmeal substance that is high in nutrients and good for children with malnutrition.
I gave the family's social worker a few hundred quetzals to purchase food for Juan. No one was sure the mother would return with the child. Sadly, we learned from the social worker that there are 20 more children just like Juan in Comapa, which is the village he came from. The village is supposed to be sponsored by World Vision.
A few days after I returned home I contacted World Vision. They responded yesterday and provided the contact information for their Guatemalan office. If you're reading this blog then please consider contacting them -- the louder the voice; the more responsive they will be (it's the advocate in me-- I can't help it!).
Good News & Prayers Answered!!
I received an email from the Canadian missionary and Juan is staying at the malnutrition clinic and receiving the care he needs. Please consider sending a donation to help with his recovery, and the recovery of many other children like him. I am looking forward to lots of photographs in the future of a happy and healthy Juan using his new pediatric wheelchair!!Return soon for my next blog post -- "All About Dick.."
_________________________________________________________________________
Donations change the lives of children with disabilities all over the world. If 100 people donate just $20 each then 6-8 children will receive wheelchairs. Please visit Wheelchairs for Kids International and learn how you can make a difference; help a child go to school; play with their friends, and just be kids..
Visit: http://kidchairs4life.org/WFKIDonate.html
No comments:
Post a Comment