This past Christmas was unlike any I've ever had before and it wasn't only because I was in a different country and culture. There were many other factors including the replacement of blood relatives with my new Haitian family, substitution of classic holiday traditions with unfamiliar ones, and the unexpected responsibility of working in the clinic Christmas morning.
A couple days before Christmas, my good friend, roommate, and partner in crime, Julie, had to leave to go home due to some family issues that had recently come up. Kate had left earlier for a 3 week visit at home, meaning I was the woman of the house for a few weeks. Instead of staying in my house by myself, Vedane offered to let me stay with her fam in their house. Christmas is not as big of a celebration here as it is at home. They have a service at the church each night the week before and the week following Christmas. But there are no presents really, few if any decorations, no talk of Santa, and no Christmas trees. However, Vedane had put up a few lights and decorations and I had started talking to Wood about some of the traditions we have during Christmas like snow, lights, and Santa. Here they call Santa Tonton Noel, which in Kreyol means Uncle Christmas. On Christmas Eve I was explaining to Wood about Santa and that he was going to come that night and leave presents while we were sleeping. Well since he was never really told much about Santa, he didn't believe me.
My mom had sent some presents for everyone in the family, and Julie and I had bought some gifts for them when we were in the DR. I wanted to try and make this Christmas special for them, so I got up really early Christmas morning and went back to my house to get all the presents. I put each persons stocking and presents next to their heads so that when they woke up they would see it. Vedane opened her presents while we waited for everyone else to wake up. Finally we heard Wood screaming "Mesi Tonton Noel, mesi Tonton Noel, yeeaaaaaaa!" I went into his room, camera ready to capture the pure look of joy on his face. I got some great pictures of each of the kids that I will have to share with you all later, as I am having trouble getting pictures from my camera to my computer.
After everyone opened their gifts, I helped Wood put together his legos while Vedane made us breakfast consisting of spaghetti with chicken, salad, and fresh fruit juice. Although it may sound strange to have for breakfast, that is what they are used to and Vedane is a wonderful cook so everything she makes is great. After I finished eating, Dr. Rodney told me that they needed me to go down to the clinic to take an xray of a lady who had broken both bones in her Wrist. After I finished doing that, I decided to take a peak into the cholera house just to check how things were going. There was one nurse, Dr. Rodney's mom, trying to take care of about 16 patients herself. There were a few patients who had come early that morning or the night before who needed IV's started, and then there were IV's that needed to be changed and more IV fluids to be given. I decided to stay and help Dr. Rodney's mom until everything was under control.
Needless to say, Christmas was unlike any other one I've had before. Although I missed my family at home, missed the snow, and Christmas traditions, I had so many things to be grateful for. Being with Rodney, Vedane and the kids, watching the joy on all their faces, and knowing that despite our many differences, the love and hope that we all share as a result of the gift the Lord has given to us through His Son, was more than I could ask for this holiday season. I was just reminded that no bought present, no material thing that this world has to offer, or no amount of Christmas tradition could ever come close to filling me with that same kind of joy, peace, and love. I am so thankful for that gift the Lord gave me, and for His steadfast faithfulness despite ever changing circumstances.
Psalm 117:2
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.
Psalm 86:15
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Psalm 36:5
Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Different world...
I started this blog awhile back, and then things got crazy again at the cholera ward and I didn't get around to finishing it...until now. At the beginning of December, Julie, me, Matt, Stacey, and their daughter Lily took a four day trip to the Domincan to one get our passports stamped(we have to leave Haiti every 3 months to renew our "visa") and two to have a little rest. We packed up and headed out Thursday afternoon and to drive to an all-inclusive resort in Puerta Plata, and then come home Sunday afternoon.
The day we left, Julie and I had been working in the cholera ward and had a pretty wild morning. A family brought in their young daughter who was already taking her last breaths and there was nothing at all we could do. She died in the front yard outside of the cholera house and since the bodies have to be burned to make sure the disease does not spread, they had to keep the body there until someone could come pick it up to take it away. At noon we staggered home to get our things and get on the road, both still very much in the mindset of all the happenings of that morning and the weeks prior we had spent treating cholera patients...by that evening, we were pulling into an all-inclusive resort with a huge lighted Christmas tree waiting to greet us as we drove up.
Talk about culture shock! While we were waiting for our rooms to be ready, we went into the buffet where we had a wide array of foods, desserts, and drinks at our fingertips. We were all a little shocked at the number of choices and the amount of excess. For the first few minutes we just walked around and stared at everything with open mouths, all the time whispering to each other and pointing, "wow look at those," and "oooo they have these," and "oh my goodness that looks wonderful!" We were all very thankful for the little bit of Christmas tradition we had found, for the blessing of foods and drinks we hadn't had in a long time, and for a good nights sleep after a long day of work and travel.
Friday it was a nice day, sunny and warm, so w all put on the bathing suits and headed for the pool, Lily of course being the most enthusiastic to jump right in(the water was not by any means very warm). It took awhile for me to wrap my mind around so quickly being thrown into a completely different environment, opposite of the one I had just been in the day before. It was bizarre to think that everything that was going on back in Haiti with cholera and our clinic was still happening, while only a few hours drive away, there we were trying to get a suntan with everything we needed/wanted at our beckon call. It was just surreal and I never could quite push that out of my mind, or be at peace while we were there...but I am grateful or the opportunity for a change of pace, some more sleep, good food, and great company with the Ayar's family before jumping back into the craziness that has been life working in the cholera house. 
We also had another huge blessing that came about because of this trip to the DR. Someone had sent both Julie and I a large amount of money to buy supplies for treating cholera as well as for baby formula and supplies. These things had become hard to find in Haiti and when found, were much more expensive than they had previously been before. On Saturday we all went to a large super market near the resort with a list of things the clinic was in need of. We bought around $800 worth of baby formula, bottles, diapers for both babies and older people, and baby wipes. We were able to get way more there for our money than if we would have tried to buy it in Haiti so we were praising the Lord for that as well. 
The rest of our time there was filled with walks on the beach, exploring the resort, watching Lilly dance up on stage with the other kids during their hour of scheduled and choreographed dance sesh, visiting with each other, people watching, and watching some Office episodes. It was great to get away and give our bodies a bit of a rest, but come Sunday we were ready to go home.
When we got home, Julie and I were motivated from seeing all the decorations at the resort, to set up our Christmas tree along with all the decorations we had in our house from the past years, all the while blasting Christmas music. Here is a picture of our little fake tree that we have in our living room.
This Christmas is going to be a little different than any other one I've had. For one, I will only see a white Christmas in my dreams this year, two I won't be with any of my family, three, I will be periodically going to the cholera house to take some shifts, and four, I will be staying with Dr. Rodney, Vedane, and their 3 kids so the majority of my communication will be done in a different language :) But I am so grateful the Lord has blessed me with their presence in my life since being here. They are a very special family and I am looking forward to spending this time with them. I am thankful for all the abundant blessings the Lord has so faithfully poured out on me this year, and am in awe of his love for us that He demonstrated by sending His son to earth to die in our place so that we may spend eternity with Him. That is what this season is all about, and no matter how much I miss all the traditions of Christmas back home, or no matter how much I miss being with my family, Jesus is the only one who offers that true happiness, love, and peace. It is in being reminded of that during this time, that I rejoice and am truly filled with His joy. May God fill you with this joy and richly bless you this Christmas season :)
The day we left, Julie and I had been working in the cholera ward and had a pretty wild morning. A family brought in their young daughter who was already taking her last breaths and there was nothing at all we could do. She died in the front yard outside of the cholera house and since the bodies have to be burned to make sure the disease does not spread, they had to keep the body there until someone could come pick it up to take it away. At noon we staggered home to get our things and get on the road, both still very much in the mindset of all the happenings of that morning and the weeks prior we had spent treating cholera patients...by that evening, we were pulling into an all-inclusive resort with a huge lighted Christmas tree waiting to greet us as we drove up.
Talk about culture shock! While we were waiting for our rooms to be ready, we went into the buffet where we had a wide array of foods, desserts, and drinks at our fingertips. We were all a little shocked at the number of choices and the amount of excess. For the first few minutes we just walked around and stared at everything with open mouths, all the time whispering to each other and pointing, "wow look at those," and "oooo they have these," and "oh my goodness that looks wonderful!" We were all very thankful for the little bit of Christmas tradition we had found, for the blessing of foods and drinks we hadn't had in a long time, and for a good nights sleep after a long day of work and travel.
Friday it was a nice day, sunny and warm, so w all put on the bathing suits and headed for the pool, Lily of course being the most enthusiastic to jump right in(the water was not by any means very warm). It took awhile for me to wrap my mind around so quickly being thrown into a completely different environment, opposite of the one I had just been in the day before. It was bizarre to think that everything that was going on back in Haiti with cholera and our clinic was still happening, while only a few hours drive away, there we were trying to get a suntan with everything we needed/wanted at our beckon call. It was just surreal and I never could quite push that out of my mind, or be at peace while we were there...but I am grateful or the opportunity for a change of pace, some more sleep, good food, and great company with the Ayar's family before jumping back into the craziness that has been life working in the cholera house. 
We also had another huge blessing that came about because of this trip to the DR. Someone had sent both Julie and I a large amount of money to buy supplies for treating cholera as well as for baby formula and supplies. These things had become hard to find in Haiti and when found, were much more expensive than they had previously been before. On Saturday we all went to a large super market near the resort with a list of things the clinic was in need of. We bought around $800 worth of baby formula, bottles, diapers for both babies and older people, and baby wipes. We were able to get way more there for our money than if we would have tried to buy it in Haiti so we were praising the Lord for that as well. 
The rest of our time there was filled with walks on the beach, exploring the resort, watching Lilly dance up on stage with the other kids during their hour of scheduled and choreographed dance sesh, visiting with each other, people watching, and watching some Office episodes. It was great to get away and give our bodies a bit of a rest, but come Sunday we were ready to go home.
When we got home, Julie and I were motivated from seeing all the decorations at the resort, to set up our Christmas tree along with all the decorations we had in our house from the past years, all the while blasting Christmas music. Here is a picture of our little fake tree that we have in our living room.
This Christmas is going to be a little different than any other one I've had. For one, I will only see a white Christmas in my dreams this year, two I won't be with any of my family, three, I will be periodically going to the cholera house to take some shifts, and four, I will be staying with Dr. Rodney, Vedane, and their 3 kids so the majority of my communication will be done in a different language :) But I am so grateful the Lord has blessed me with their presence in my life since being here. They are a very special family and I am looking forward to spending this time with them. I am thankful for all the abundant blessings the Lord has so faithfully poured out on me this year, and am in awe of his love for us that He demonstrated by sending His son to earth to die in our place so that we may spend eternity with Him. That is what this season is all about, and no matter how much I miss all the traditions of Christmas back home, or no matter how much I miss being with my family, Jesus is the only one who offers that true happiness, love, and peace. It is in being reminded of that during this time, that I rejoice and am truly filled with His joy. May God fill you with this joy and richly bless you this Christmas season :)Thursday, December 9, 2010
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Yesterday was a rough day. It started off by finding out that an elderly patient in the Cholera ward had died earlier that morning. Not long after I got to the clinic, I had to explain to two younger women that their mom was taking her last breaths, and then hold and comfort them as they grieved over her death. That afternoon, after working on a little girl about 3 years old for over an hour, we finally had to call it and tearfully explain to the family what had happened. When she first came, she was already severely dehydrated and no one could find a vein on her to start pumping fluid into her body. She had been able to drink some, so we decided to keep trying to get her to drink, and then look for a vein a little later. Her dad took her to the bathroom, and after she emptied out, she just stopped breathing. He rushed her back out to us and we put in two IV's into both of her tibias and started squeezing in fluids as fast as we could. We got a bag and started trying to help her breath, but she vomited and then aspirated fluid into her lungs and we could not effectively suction enough out...even after 4 doses of epinephrine, constant bagging and attempting to suction out fluid, her stats kept dropping and we finally just had to let her go.
The rest of the day and night was kind of a blur, just trying to focus on taking care of the other patients and not dwell on what had happened. As I sat eating dinner that night with the rest of the missionaries and the team who is here, I watched as the little Bundy kids laughed, played and sat content in their parent's arms. I was hit hard with the reality of how precious life is, how fleetingly short and unpredictable. I was reminded that only the Lord knows the number of our days, and only He can determine how long we have here on this earth. At first with that renewed realization, I was hit with a sense of fear and helplessness. That truth had become so blatantly real to me yesterday, and I had literally come face to face with that reality. I realized that despite my fleshly tendency to feel fearful and hopeless in those situations, the one thing that calms the fear of the unknown, of death, of pain, of heartache, is a relationship with the one who created all things, who gives and takes away, who sustains, who is sovereign, who was and is and is to come. I was so thankful that I have that kind of a relationship, that I can come to my Father with the burdens of the day, knowing that He will carry them for me. After all the things I have witnessed here, all the suffering, pain, and hardships of this life, without the hope of that truth in my life, all that would be left is fear, uncertainty, grief, and hopelessness. It is His love, His promises, His grace, His goodness, His peace and joy that comes from His Holy Spirit that gives us as Christians the strength to endure the things of this world. And that and that alone is what we have to offer these people, the families of those who have died or who are sick and suffering. Please pray for us, that we can accurately paint them a picture of the beauty that is Jesus Christ, of the hope and love and peace that He offers through a relationship with Him. Pray for a refueling of the Holy Spirit for all of us working there, both missionaries and Haitian staff, that through these experiences our faith would also be strengthened and radically transformed.
Psalm 30:5
"Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
Psalm 34:18
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 46:1-2
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."
Psalm 71:20-21
"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again."
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."
Revelation 21:4
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
The rest of the day and night was kind of a blur, just trying to focus on taking care of the other patients and not dwell on what had happened. As I sat eating dinner that night with the rest of the missionaries and the team who is here, I watched as the little Bundy kids laughed, played and sat content in their parent's arms. I was hit hard with the reality of how precious life is, how fleetingly short and unpredictable. I was reminded that only the Lord knows the number of our days, and only He can determine how long we have here on this earth. At first with that renewed realization, I was hit with a sense of fear and helplessness. That truth had become so blatantly real to me yesterday, and I had literally come face to face with that reality. I realized that despite my fleshly tendency to feel fearful and hopeless in those situations, the one thing that calms the fear of the unknown, of death, of pain, of heartache, is a relationship with the one who created all things, who gives and takes away, who sustains, who is sovereign, who was and is and is to come. I was so thankful that I have that kind of a relationship, that I can come to my Father with the burdens of the day, knowing that He will carry them for me. After all the things I have witnessed here, all the suffering, pain, and hardships of this life, without the hope of that truth in my life, all that would be left is fear, uncertainty, grief, and hopelessness. It is His love, His promises, His grace, His goodness, His peace and joy that comes from His Holy Spirit that gives us as Christians the strength to endure the things of this world. And that and that alone is what we have to offer these people, the families of those who have died or who are sick and suffering. Please pray for us, that we can accurately paint them a picture of the beauty that is Jesus Christ, of the hope and love and peace that He offers through a relationship with Him. Pray for a refueling of the Holy Spirit for all of us working there, both missionaries and Haitian staff, that through these experiences our faith would also be strengthened and radically transformed.
Psalm 30:5
"Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
Psalm 34:18
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 46:1-2
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."
Psalm 71:20-21
"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again."
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."
Revelation 21:4
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Combat Cholera
The past couple weeks Bethesda has been treating on average 15 Cholera patients each day at a house on our compound right next to the clinic. We have mats, beds, IV and oral fluids, cleaning supplies and everything we need in the house to take care of these patients. Since we first opened this Cholera ward to the community last Wednesday, we have seen and treated somewhere around 70 patients. The majority of our patients, we have been able to send home within 2 or 3 days, healthy and with the knowledge of how to better protect themselves from this disease.
That night we got all of the patients, their families, and some of the missionaries together in the main room and had a little service of singing, bible reading, and prayer. We really tried to encourage the patients and their families by telling them how much God loves them and that He has a perfect plan for all of our lives, even if we don't understand sometimes. Although many of them said that they were Christians, we had the opportunity to remind them of the hope and joy of their salvation, and the Lord's promise of eternal life with Him forever through our faith in Jesus.
The next day, Daniello was looking more alert and like he was feeling much better. The only problem was he was still having diarrhea and losing all the water he was drinking. For some reason, that afternoon one of the nurses decided to take him off IV fluids since he was still able to drink. But come dark time he had reverted back to presenting the classic signs of someone who has Cholera: eyes rolled back in their head, sunken in cheeks, mouth hanging open, and general fatigue. We started to get worried when Dr. Rodney was unable to find a vein to start him on IV fluids again. Finally after debating on what our options were, Dr. Rodney came up with the idea of an intraosseous IV. He had never done one before, but we all read the directions together and after 3 tries, got an IV started in his distal tibia bone. That whole night we sat up with him again, changing his diapers and trying to get him to drink oral fluids. There were more than a few times that we thought we were going to lose him throughout the night. He also had fluid in his lungs and was having trouble breathing. Julie did some chest physical therapy and was able to clear some of the fluid out, which made it easier for him to breath and drink.
He stayed relatively in the same condition throughout the next day, but the day after that he was looking much better and had started to become more vocal and interactive. His diarrhea was slowing way down, but he had contracted a low grade fever of about 101 and it wasn't breaking. Our plan was to keep him with us, continue giving him antibiotics until he was completely better before sending him home. His mom was the one with him during this whole time, but she told us that his dad who was living in the Dominican at the time and who hadn't seen Daniello in 5 months, had gotten some kind of medicine from a witch doctor and was coming to the clinic to give it to him. Ms. Prudence told him that Bethesda does not support any kind of voodoo rituals or remedies and that he could not bring that in to give to him. So the dad decided instead they were going to take Daniello and leave Bethesda against medical advice.
When I heard this news I was frustrated, sad, and scared for this little boy. I gave his mother all the medication she needed and told her how much and how often to give it to him. I gave him a bath, and packed him a bag of baby shampoo, diapers, and some shoes and clothes we still had in our house from what people back home had donated. His mom let me take a picture of them as they were leaving. Ms. Prudence gave them an appointment to come back for a check up the following Friday, but I never heard of they came or not. I still think about and pray for that little boy and his family, wherever they are, that God will redeem that situation. I am praying that Daniello will be completely healed to the glory of His name, and that through all of this his parents will come to know the truth that is Jesus Christ, so that Daniello can grow up knowing that it was God who has saved him both physically and spiritually.
Right now we have a team here from Nebraska with 2 doctors and 2 nurses who are helping out this week. All of us at the clinic are so grateful for the extra help as it really is draining work for everyone, especially when each of us has other jobs and responsibilities in the clinic added to it. We have set up a few tents out in front of the house for overflow when all of our beds our filled. The first week we had mostly young kids and babies who came, but since then we have had a variety of patients of all ages. These are some of the kids from the first week...
We would all appreciate your prayers for physical and emotional strength in handling this day-to-day kind of work. It has been both heartbreaking as well as uplifting, to see people come in deathly ill, take care of them for 3 days or so, and see the change in them as they start to recover (for some we have literally seen them healed within minutes and turn into a totally different person). It helps knowing that we are sending them home hopefully healthy and with the valuable knowledge of how to prevent the spread of Cholera, as well as the charge to inform as many people as they can. We are not sure how long exactly Bethesda will be working to treat Cholera, but it is predicted that it will be well into the next year. The need for supplies is going to be ongoing, as is the need for more nurses and doctors to come help out. If you or anyone you know would be interested in donating their time, resources, or both, you can either email me or get in touch with us through Bethesda's facebook page.
There is a long road of recovery ahead for this poor country and your continued prayers and support, not just for Bethesda and OMS, but for the country as a whole, is much needed and incredibly powerful. We know God is sovereign and in complete control. He will bring beauty from these ashes and His name will be praised.
"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine." Psalm 33:18
When we first decided to open our doors to care for Cholera patients round the clock, we started by putting up a few tents on the side of the clinic. But after a couple days, we realized we were going to need a much bigger facility and a more efficient means for caring for these people. 
One of our missionaries, Jane, came up with the idea to turn one of the vacant guest houses on our compound into a mini hospital. Julie and I, being a physical therapist and a radiologic technologist, naturally were selected to set up and run the operation. We had help of course with Dr. Rodney and the other nurses working at Bethesda during the day. However, the first couple of nights it was just me, Julie, and Dr. Rodney starting and changing IV's, changing fluids, changing diapers, cleaning up diarrhea and vomit, and making sure everyone got their meds as needed. Needless to say, we were all completely exhausted after a few days and it was obvious that we needed more help. So Dr. Rodney started to look for nurses to hire outside of Bethesda to come and take the night shifts.
Thanksgiving night was particularly busy and draining both physically and emotionally. It was the second day of opening up the house to patient, and we had one little boy 18 months old named Daniello who was especially sick. That day we had tried and tried to find a vein in any part of his body, but it had been extremely difficult as he was already severely dehydrated and still having diarrhea regularly. One of our nurses eventually got one in his head, but it was dripping slowly and not replenishing his water as fast as he was losing it. Both Julie and I took turns all day and night trying to rehydrate him orally with pedialyte but the situation seemed dire. There was nothing more we could do at that point besides pray and ask others to pray as well.
Daniello and his mom
One of our missionaries, Jane, came up with the idea to turn one of the vacant guest houses on our compound into a mini hospital. Julie and I, being a physical therapist and a radiologic technologist, naturally were selected to set up and run the operation. We had help of course with Dr. Rodney and the other nurses working at Bethesda during the day. However, the first couple of nights it was just me, Julie, and Dr. Rodney starting and changing IV's, changing fluids, changing diapers, cleaning up diarrhea and vomit, and making sure everyone got their meds as needed. Needless to say, we were all completely exhausted after a few days and it was obvious that we needed more help. So Dr. Rodney started to look for nurses to hire outside of Bethesda to come and take the night shifts.
Thanksgiving night was particularly busy and draining both physically and emotionally. It was the second day of opening up the house to patient, and we had one little boy 18 months old named Daniello who was especially sick. That day we had tried and tried to find a vein in any part of his body, but it had been extremely difficult as he was already severely dehydrated and still having diarrhea regularly. One of our nurses eventually got one in his head, but it was dripping slowly and not replenishing his water as fast as he was losing it. Both Julie and I took turns all day and night trying to rehydrate him orally with pedialyte but the situation seemed dire. There was nothing more we could do at that point besides pray and ask others to pray as well.
Daniello and his mom
The next day, Daniello was looking more alert and like he was feeling much better. The only problem was he was still having diarrhea and losing all the water he was drinking. For some reason, that afternoon one of the nurses decided to take him off IV fluids since he was still able to drink. But come dark time he had reverted back to presenting the classic signs of someone who has Cholera: eyes rolled back in their head, sunken in cheeks, mouth hanging open, and general fatigue. We started to get worried when Dr. Rodney was unable to find a vein to start him on IV fluids again. Finally after debating on what our options were, Dr. Rodney came up with the idea of an intraosseous IV. He had never done one before, but we all read the directions together and after 3 tries, got an IV started in his distal tibia bone. That whole night we sat up with him again, changing his diapers and trying to get him to drink oral fluids. There were more than a few times that we thought we were going to lose him throughout the night. He also had fluid in his lungs and was having trouble breathing. Julie did some chest physical therapy and was able to clear some of the fluid out, which made it easier for him to breath and drink.He stayed relatively in the same condition throughout the next day, but the day after that he was looking much better and had started to become more vocal and interactive. His diarrhea was slowing way down, but he had contracted a low grade fever of about 101 and it wasn't breaking. Our plan was to keep him with us, continue giving him antibiotics until he was completely better before sending him home. His mom was the one with him during this whole time, but she told us that his dad who was living in the Dominican at the time and who hadn't seen Daniello in 5 months, had gotten some kind of medicine from a witch doctor and was coming to the clinic to give it to him. Ms. Prudence told him that Bethesda does not support any kind of voodoo rituals or remedies and that he could not bring that in to give to him. So the dad decided instead they were going to take Daniello and leave Bethesda against medical advice.
When I heard this news I was frustrated, sad, and scared for this little boy. I gave his mother all the medication she needed and told her how much and how often to give it to him. I gave him a bath, and packed him a bag of baby shampoo, diapers, and some shoes and clothes we still had in our house from what people back home had donated. His mom let me take a picture of them as they were leaving. Ms. Prudence gave them an appointment to come back for a check up the following Friday, but I never heard of they came or not. I still think about and pray for that little boy and his family, wherever they are, that God will redeem that situation. I am praying that Daniello will be completely healed to the glory of His name, and that through all of this his parents will come to know the truth that is Jesus Christ, so that Daniello can grow up knowing that it was God who has saved him both physically and spiritually.
Right now we have a team here from Nebraska with 2 doctors and 2 nurses who are helping out this week. All of us at the clinic are so grateful for the extra help as it really is draining work for everyone, especially when each of us has other jobs and responsibilities in the clinic added to it. We have set up a few tents out in front of the house for overflow when all of our beds our filled. The first week we had mostly young kids and babies who came, but since then we have had a variety of patients of all ages. These are some of the kids from the first week...
We would all appreciate your prayers for physical and emotional strength in handling this day-to-day kind of work. It has been both heartbreaking as well as uplifting, to see people come in deathly ill, take care of them for 3 days or so, and see the change in them as they start to recover (for some we have literally seen them healed within minutes and turn into a totally different person). It helps knowing that we are sending them home hopefully healthy and with the valuable knowledge of how to prevent the spread of Cholera, as well as the charge to inform as many people as they can. We are not sure how long exactly Bethesda will be working to treat Cholera, but it is predicted that it will be well into the next year. The need for supplies is going to be ongoing, as is the need for more nurses and doctors to come help out. If you or anyone you know would be interested in donating their time, resources, or both, you can either email me or get in touch with us through Bethesda's facebook page.There is a long road of recovery ahead for this poor country and your continued prayers and support, not just for Bethesda and OMS, but for the country as a whole, is much needed and incredibly powerful. We know God is sovereign and in complete control. He will bring beauty from these ashes and His name will be praised.
"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine." Psalm 33:18
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