I find myself saying that every time we lose a little one. How can it get any "easier"? Just because its a very sad reality in Haiti? We are in Haiti to improve the lives of these babies and their families. It is the sad reality that we faced this past week as we lost two babies in one day. One was extra hard as it was completely unexpected and sudden.
Sabina was with us for just over 2 months, along with her twin sister Sabine. Their father died in the earthquake almost a year ago and their mother struggled to care for the twins and their older siblings being unable to work. The twins came to us malnourished and sickly. They were going to stay with us a few months so their mother could find work and help. Sabina got sick so we took her to the local hospital. She seemed to go down hill very fast and the next thing we know she has passed away. Please pray for Sabina's mother as its very difficult for her to loose one of her babies. She loved the girls dearly and they will never be the same without her. Its going to be hard for her mother to explain to Sabine that she had a twin sister who did not make it. Please also pray for our staff at this sudden loss.
Unfortunatly, the same day Sabina passed away we lost little Arly. Arly was only with us for only a few days and most of that time was spent in the hospital. Arly was brought to us by his mother who clearly loved hiim more than anything. He was born with spina bifida and leg deformities. We were working hard to get Arly a medical visa to the states, but it just wasn't meant to be. Arly contracted menegitis and could not fight it off. His mother called numerous times a day to check on him. Please pray as his parents mourn the loss of their baby.
It is a sad reality when these babies pass away, but there is always the excitment of little ones rejoining their biological families. We were also able to see two of our little ones go home.
Djolande was picked up by her mother. She was living with us for 3 months and has done phenominally well. We are excited about her growth and development. We pray and hope that her mother is capable in caring for her and has the help of her community who has agreed to support her.
Our little Sammy has also gone home to be with his mother. Sammy has been with us almost 6 months and has done well. It took him a while to gain some weight, but in the last few months he has really made great progress. We really hope and pray that Sammy's mom is able to care for him and meet all his needs. He will be in our formula program for a while to continue receiving his food.